A Yo: Ayomari Interview

Briefly describe yourself as a person and as a rapper.

I love great songs, movies, food, and women.

I heard somewhere that your father was a musician. What type of music did he do and how did that influence you to do what you do?

My father IS a musician that does a variety of styles ranging anywhere from blues to rock to country. Unfortunately, I wasn't raised around him for most of my life, so he never had the opportunity to pass down his knowledge of music until I was much older. Although he tried. My mother always promoted music as important and supported its role in my life. Of course over the years I've received a lot from both including other family members.

For me the West's hip-hop scene right now is producing the best overall sound hands down. How do you think this resurgence came about?

I don't know exactly, the talent had already been here, it was just a matter of hard work and getting the music out. Eventually if enough people are talking about it, it becomes undeniable. But this has been going on for years.

Who are you currently listening to?

Currently this very moment, I'm listening to "Kaili" by Caribou, I like that new K.R.I.T. song "Time Machine", this guy Alexander Ebert, Deerhunter, and some of this new stuff The Cafeteria Line has been working on.

Do you have a favorite song or beat of all-time?

Charlie Brown's "Christmas Time Is Here"

Out of the LA MC's such as Dom Kennedy, Kendrick Lamar, Pac Div, Diz Gibran etc. What are your personal favorite tracks from them?

Local's Only is my favorite Dom joint, Michael Jordan is my favorite Kendrick joint, Taste is my favorite Pac joint, Run Around is my favorite Diz Gibran joint, Might As Well is my favorite J Davey song, Figg Get Da Money is my favorite Schoolboy Q joint, Muddy Jane is my favorite U-N-I joint, there's a lot.

How do you feel about social-networking sites such as twitter?

Great tool for networking. I never really read the twitter timeline, I mostly only read about anything pertaining to The Cafeteria Line, or whatever may catch my eye. Twitter can be like high school sometimes, but it's very useful.

What's right with hip-hop? What's wrong with hip-hop?

What's right with hip hop is that it's completely unique. It's still the voice of the youth, and right now is the best time to be yourself.

Whats wrong with hip hop is that people, hip hop included, don't respect the art forms enough, which in turn results in a lowered respect towards it. There are obvious exceptions, but for example, being a virtuoso in rap isn't held in the same regard as being a virtuoso in piano. I'm sure there are those, probably most, who would say you can't compare the two in technical difficulty, but you can. The learning curve may be different, but the voice is the most diverse instrument in the world. It may be easy for a person to rap, but how many rappers have you heard do what Eminem used to do? Eminem took rap so far, he had to come back and dumb it down because people weren't keeping up.

The issue with hip hop is that there isn't a balance between the artform and the industry. The industry has such a foothold on the culture that natural progression of it has been stifled. Hip Hop has almost become a recycled parody of itself. It's exploited in every facet of media for financial gain which is the nature of the industry and that's fine. The problem is that all of this happened before the culture had enough time to establish a solid foundation with respect to the world's understanding and acceptance of it. The culture was basically taken out of the hands of the people who created it before they were able to sell the world their vision for it. So now, what the world gets is an abridged version of hip hop in a controlled setting from capitalist. That's why you have so many run of the mill rappers; bitches, money, cars, drugs is all they talk about. The industry has people truly believing that in order to make it, you must be like what you see on tv. I could go on and on.

If you weren't making music what would you be doing?

Making music

Favorite sports memory?

I never was into sports. I did play tee ball when I was a kid lol, my team was The Giants. I was never bad at sports but my heart was in art.

Do you have a fascination with food and why?

It's food! lol if you were going to be fascinated with anything, wouldn't it be food? It's amazing how many people don't explore all of these different types of foods in the world, it's crazy. And great food puts you in a great mood.

Describe your writing process.

It varies, sometimes I record random patterns to a beat to find out how I want the flow to be, take bits and pieces and put words to them. I'm one of those people that still uses paper and pencil to write, I feel as if my energy is actually traveling from my hand, through the pencil and into the paper lol. Sometimes my paper has lines scratched out all over, other times every line is written perfectly from beginning to end with no misstep. Freestyling is a big part of the writing process also, it's important to go from feeling and not force the song. I always know when I have it because the feeling is unmistakable. That excited, surprised and "yeahhh" moment.

What are you looking forward to?

I am looking forward to one day actually being paid for my talents. I'm looking forward to that Doom & Thom Yorke project. To finishing A Sucker For Pumps. I'm looking forward to seeing where I'm at by the end of 2011.

Describe Ayomari's perfect day.

A bomb meal, in bed with the perfect movie.

Any words of encouragement for young up and coming rappers out there?

Study study study, don't believe the hype, get the skill down and everything else will fall in place. Don't try to skip classes you need just because the opportunity is there. It'll come back to bite ya ass!

Also, be sure to check out http://thecafeterialine.bandcamp.com for all of our music. Follow me on twitter @ayomari. And stay up to date at http://ayomari.tumblr.com

Genesis the Greykid Interview

Miles Beyond sits down with Genesis the Greykid for Rail Road Hip Hop. You can follow Genesis on twitter@hi_im_genesis and on Facebook: Russell Genesis McGee

For Mixtapes by Genesis you can go to: http://iamgenesis.bandcamp.com/

For Videos by Genesis you can go to: http://creativecontrol.tv/www/#/music-videos/genesis/

Part 2

Part3

An Interview w/ The Doppelgangaz

In case you're unfamiliar, The Ghastly Duo consists of Matter ov Fact and EP. Here lies the answers to my questions. Get familiar!

First off, why did you guys choose the name The Doppelgangaz?

EP: It wasn’t so much us choosing as it was the Rap Lords bestowing the name upon us. The definition of a “doppelganger” is someone’s ghostly twin and though we look nothing alike, we’re parallels in regards to our thought process and approach towards our craft.

How would you describe your guys style of music and how do you manage to consistently sound old school?

Matter ov Fact: We just let our personalities run amok on tracks. We don’t work on material with the intent of sounding a specific way.

What other artists influence you?

EP: Every artist plays a role in the influence of fellow artists. Anyone with the courage to pursue this art form and provide creative bodies of work, inspires us.

How and when did you realize music was something you wanted to do?

Matter ov Fact: The rap lords let us know why we were put on earth at an early age. We’ve been making music since around the time puberty starts in most boys. Since then we’ve matured musically although I’m still waiting to mature physically.

How do you guys go about sampling, such as the dope Filbert sample from Rocco's Modern Life on the track "Demons"?

EP: Everything happens for a reason. That sample grew two legs and walked its way into the Protools. We have no control when it comes to the production and arrangement process. That’s all the Rap Lords doing. They make sure the pieces to the puzzle fit. And you know you can never argue with the Rap Lords. All praises due.

Do the tracks "Groggy Pack" and "Smoke Mics" sample anything? If not, describe how those beats came about.

EP: The production process includes a lot of designer drugs and unclean women who are only at the session because they’re accepting a fee. We’re not ashamed to admit we pay to play.

Is the track "Sign It" about not wanting to sign with a major record company?

EP: It all boils down to Matter Ov Fact and I not wanting a lot of outside influence. We’re all about being self contained. That’s why we started our own label, Groggy Pack Entertainment. Our art can’t be tampered with.

Describe your writing process.

Matter ov Fact: Its very troll-like. Usually we chill under bridges and reflect on life. Ideas pop up randomly no matter where we are but a peaceful spot is definitely needed to gather thoughts.

Who would you guys like to collaborate with?

Matter ov Fact: I honestly don’t know if anybody would want to collaborate with us. We wear cloaks all day and visit brothels. Peoples PR teams would most likely advise them to steer clear of us.

Who are you currently listening to?

EP: Anything innovative and creative, point blank. A lot of Jazz.

With lines such as "Gregg Popovich pothole face.", I take it you guys are NBA fans? Who's your favorite old school NBA player? Frank Brickowski, Fat Lever, Oliver Miller and Tyrone Hill are all great options just in case you needed some!

EP: I was always a big fan of Matt Fish and Sergei Bazarevich.

Matter ov Fact: Greg Kite

Beats or broads?

EP: SInce we don’t have to pay for beats, I’d go with beats. Every time we venture out to a brothel, we have to skip a weeks worth of rations because it deflates our pockets.

Matter ov Fact: Word I’d go with beats as well. While beats can be infectious, at least they can’t give you infections like the type of broads we associate with.

Whats next for the Groggy Pack?

Matter ov Fact: Our instrumental body of work entitled Beats for Brothels Vol. 1 is now available for purchase on www.TheDoppelgangaz.com and iTunes. Before you know it the body of work we are currently working on entitled, Lone Sharks will be complete. We’re excited to give the people some cloaked out confidence in 2011 and beyond.

Kendrick Lamar Interview

A couple weeks ago I sat down with Kendrick Lamar right before he opened up for Tech N9ne . This is a three part interview that in total is around 30 minutes long. Not too many dudes in the rap game are willing to sit down and have a lengthy conversation about hip-hop and such. K-Dot's a different breed. Make sure to check Kendrick out on his Facebook and his Twitter.

In part one Kendrick Lamar discusses his Monster Freestyle, touches on the legend that is Dash Snow, and he also speaks on the songs "R.O.T.C" and "Average Joe".



In part 2 Kendrick speaks on smoking weed, talks about how it was working with Murs and Dom Kennedy, crying in the booth for his new song "Make My City Proud", he mentions he'd like to work with Bilal, Andre 3000, Floetry, Erykah Badu and what to expect next from Black Hippy.



In part 3 K-Dot speaks on the "justice" system, the music industry and how he feels about it, the West Coast hip-hop scene and his new album.

An Interview w/ The ILLZ

What do you see when you look out the nearest window?

Trees and the brick wall of the next building lol.

What do you like most about living in New Jersey?

What I like most about where I live in Jersey is its close proximity to NYC. I love the fact that I am 10 minutes away from NYC with an amazing skyline view. It's great because it offsets that madness in NYC with the calmness of Jersey.

The Pursuit LP starts off with an old school HOV interview. What inspired you to use this piece?

Shouts to my man AR he's the one that got me that interview. One day he was in the crib and he was like "Yo, check this old school rare Jay interview that I found". I was just listening to it and I was astounded by how humble, hopeful, and even nervous Hov was. Obviously those aren't things you think about when you think of Jay-Z. He is like the king of confidence you know. So the more I listened to it I realized how I was at the same point and felt the same way about my music in the respect that right now I just want to be appreciated. That interview took place RIGHT before "Reasonable Doubt" came out so this was before anybody hailed it as a classic or even a good album. This was Jay before releasing the album so something in his voice showed how he was just hungry for appreciation since he put so much into it. Now we can see how he got that and ALOT more from that album.

Can you explain the back story to the song "M.P.A. (My Public Apology)"?

I was dating a young lady at the time. We were friends for a long time but finally decided to take it to another level you know. Everything was great, she was great however it ended badly. It really ended completely out of the blue. I was to blame, I just became scared that I was maybe misleading her and that it wasn't fair to her. One day I just completely disappeared and sank deep into my music, began working out, and just getting my mind right you know. Even though I wanted to reach out to her for some reason I just couldn't so she was in a position where one day everything was all good then the next day she would never hear from me again. I felt like it deserved an apology and a lot more. However the only way I can come to doing it was on a record.

In the music video for M.P.A. it shows you writing on a piece of paper. What were you writing?

I was writing the entire lyrics to the song. The way I wrote this record was more like a letter than an actual song so that's why it made sense to incorporate that into the video.

How do you go about sampling and what attracts you to the style of music you sample?

I don't have a ritual per say. I just come across plenty of records and it has to be something that moves me, something that I can relate to, and something can stir up certain emotions within me. However I am careful in what I sample, sometimes you can ruin a certain song by adding your two cents to it. I always make sure I don't taint it even though I will be taking a different approach.

The song Dreams of Life & Beth samples Beth Gibbons song "Show". How did you discover Beth Gibbons and/or Portishead?

I listen to ALOT of music, as a matter of fact I dedicate a lot of time to finding new music and/or artists on the net. Obviously Portishead I knew about just because they are HUGE, however I wasn't really aware that Beth Gibbons had actually recorded a solo record until months ago. I actually have a new record coming out from the 'In Between Video Series' that uses a Portishead record.

When will you know that your dream is reality?

That's a good question, there can be many indications. Maybe something like selling out my own show, charting on the Billboards, signing a contract. I really don't know, however when that feeling arrives I will be able to recognize it, but I can't say what will spark it.

How do you translate your emotions into words so well?

That's a good question that maybe only the powers that be can answer, I am just very grateful that I can channel and translate them into something that people can relate to it and serve as a mean of therapy for us all.

Your bio states that you're an actor as well. How did you get into acting and what have you acted in?

Inspiring actor is probably a better term. As of now the only work I have done is on my own videos. However acting is as big and important as music is. Something inside of me tells me that I can be great in it and I truly believe that. However everything takes it's time and I am willing to wait.

Normally as an artist you have years of material piled up and it all goes into that first couple projects. How do plan to keep that artistic side of you going for years to come?

I think as time goes on I will only be able to produce a lot more material. All the material I have done so far has been juggled in between regular jobs and the issues you deal with trying to survive and pay bills. I think once that is diminished and I begin to actually make a living off of music I will have the time, inspiration and necessary mental space to take my music not only in volume but also quality to new heights.

If you could change one thing about hip-hop what would it be and why?

I was actually having a great discussion with my man Joe Scudda the other day and we agreed on one thing, we in Hip-Hop have TOOOO many rules and actually box ourselves in. I believe those rules have been breaking down slowly recently with certain artists that are out now. However I think ignorance, immaturity, fear or growth and something different is prevalent in Hip-Hop music and I think it stunts its growth as a genre. I think we're getting there slowly but surely.

A Super Interview With Nike Nando

For those out there that don't know of Nike Nando, how would you describe yourself and your music?

As original as you can get. My music comes from a really honest place that alot of paople can relate to. Situations such as; not being the flyest, guy who wants the girl, and being cool. lol. No matter what it's experiences based on my life as well as other peoples lives.

How'd you get the name Super Nike Nando?

I got the name my 1st show in New York City. I was with a few friends of mine and I was like, "Nike Nando" and it stuck. I have a slight sneaker fettish so, yeah...lol. The SUPER came from just my love for Super Nintendo. I still have mine. I only have 'Super Mario World' tho. lol.

Why do you think it is that the DMV (DC, Maryland & Virginia) doesn't get recognized as much as other parts of the country?

The DMV does not and will not get recognized until these fake clicks who shut people out stop doing what they're doing. I never understood that. Why are you shutting out other dope artist? Your scared that they would burn your artists ass up lyricially? That would make them look bad and take away they're cretibillity. lol. I kinda see why now..

Who inspired you growing up and who inspires you now?

Growing up I was inspired by Prince & Micheal Jackson. I used to want to do that type of music but I can't sing or dance. lol. As far as now, Kanye West really is my insparation. Drake is cool but I'm really feeling Kanye, it has nothing to do with the fashion and the other crap. His way of thinking is Genius.

Musically, who you feelin' right now?

Big Sean, Drake, Cudi & Wale. I'm sure there are some others I like but those are the ones I really can think off off top.

What are your thoughts on Drake and his new album?

Great. VERY well put together. Although, he has alot of melo relationship records on it. I say next time the songs shouldn't be so long he should just make the records shorter and do more songs.

Who's on your top 10 MC list of all-time?

Kanye, Jay-Z, Mos Def, Common, Dr. Dre, Snoop, Beanie Segal, Styles P, Jadakiss, & this is gonna make people say 'what?!" but Cam'Ron.

If you could only perform one song to a random person to try and make them into a fan, what song would you play?

"Super Nike Nando" lol. It's so random & catchy.

Who would your dream colab be with?

Ye' (Kanye)

Can you explain the song Talk To Me?

"Talk To Me" was a fictional/non-fictional record. I usually like to do something people think I can't do so when they hear it they'd be even more impressed with what I present. It's just about life. How you don't have alot of time on this earth so you need to choose your time wisley and tell the people around you that you love them.

What are your goals and ambitions in life?

To get Will Smith money & success. To make out this crab berral and learn more as I grow as a artist.

I Hate(d) my job too. What would you be doing if you weren't rapping?

I'd most definatley would be working for Nike. lol. Designing shoes because LORD KNOWS they need help. They've been really slacking.

You can follow Nando on any of the links below. Support dude and help DMV get recognized! www.whynotnando.com www.twitter.com/nikenando www.nikenando.bandcamp.com www.myspace.com/supernikenando

An Interview With George Reefah

For those people who might not know of you, can you take a moment and introduce yourself?

Sup yall!!! Nice to meet you!!!! I go by the name George Reefah. Im originally from Toronto Canada and I been making music for the past 5 years now. hahaha, not sure what else to write...im 6' 3", 190lbs, and I like thai food...hahahah...

You've made some changes in your style of music. Can you describe those changes and why you made them?

Being the creator of the music I don't feel like my music has changed, I would more say it has grown and evolved. The person who I am today will grow and evolve into the person I will be tomorrow and because my music is a reflection of who I am, its only right that my music grows and evolves with me too. The things I find interesting in life right now isn't necessarily what I found interesting 3 or 4 years ago. I used to enjoy chillin on my block in Jane/Finch Toronto, Canada and my music reflected the lifestyle that came with hanging out on street corners. Eventually I started to enjoy partying, drinking, smoking, and chicks and now my music reflects the lifestyle that comes with all that...

Do you feel like fellow Canadian hip-hop artists like Drake and Shad have helped paved they way for other artists like yourself?

Aw ya, most definitely. But I still think every artist no matter where they come from has to do a lot of ground work themselves in order for anyone else's notoriety to do them any good.

What are your weaknesses as a person and as an artist?

I gotta say that my biggest weakness as an artist would be looking or seeming busy. One of the most unknown facts about entertainers whether hip hop artist, or actor, or singer, or comedian or whatever is that we wait more than anything. We wait for phone calls, emails, documents, lawyers, meetings, shows, confirmations, responses; our lives are based on waiting on other people. Because no one cares to be entertained by someone who is constantly waiting so it is up to us to make people believe that we are constantly doing something interesting. In this age of the internet and real time communication my management team stresses to me how important it is for me to twitter everything that i'm doing. For some reason I find this to be difficult, but I gotta do it nonetheless, so i would say that is my biggest weakness. As for my personal weaknesses, I seem to have a hard time controlling myself around hot women and some good chronic...haha

Who are your major influences in the game and when did you know you wanted to do music?

Im not influenced by individuals in the game as much as i'm influenced by the people around me. The team that I work with has been put into place because we share the same interests and wants, we all do the same things and enjoy the same things. Those are the people who influence the moves that I make and the sound that I create. It wasn't until after high school when I realized that the NBA was outta reach did I really know that I wanted to do music. It was a process that took some time though because I needed to release music and have fans tell me they liked it before I decided to dive head first into the industry.

Would you rather have respect from fellow hip-hop artists or your fans?

Fans 100%!!!! I mean, I enjoy listening to other artists and following their careers but at the end of the day, I do this for the people who enjoy listening to and following my music. I think all artists have a natural genuine respect for each other already because most artists have to grind just as hard as the next guy to get to where they really want to be. Its the respect of the fans that every artist have to develop individually and because I feel like this is a harder respect to develop, it is definitely the respect that I would much rather have.

If you had to make a fan in a handful of sentences what would you say to convince them to listen to your music?

Yall like to party? Me too!! Yall smoke weed? Me too!!! What you sippin on??? Me too!!! Miami or Los Angeles? Sure lets go!!!

You just released your new single entitled "Rollin" yesterday (May 10). What are your expectations for this particular single?

Well outside of the fact that I want it to do very well on the charts, I don't have too many expectations. I kinda just want it to grow and manifest into a life of its own!! sometimes in life its good to just put something out there and allow it to do what its gonna do and then be thankful for what turns out.

What are your expectations overall?

My overall expectations is that I stay thankful. Im here for a reason and i'm thankful for that reason. Im going to be here for a certain amount of time, and i'm thankful for that time. If i'm thankful for all these things now, i expect that remain thankful for everything else to come. Thats all I really expect.

Rail Road Hip Hop Podcast Ep. 2 (Harlems Cash Interview)

For the second episode of this infamous podcast Harlems Cash joined us. "I'll know I made it when I get to see the pyramids". This podcast also features some hot, hot tracks. No talking from me though... I'm on a speech strike!

Podcast Link Below:
http://railroadhiphop.mypodcast.com/2009/12/RAIL_ROAD_HIP_HOP_EP_2-262489.html

Rail Road Hip Hop Podcast Ep.1 (Grieves Interview)

RRHH's first official podcast is finally here! I'm gonna be posting a new episode every Tuesday featuring underground hip-hop and interviews. This weeks interview features Grieves. Peep!

http://railroadhiphop.mypodcast.com/index.html

KRS-One & Buckshot Interview

So I did a phone interview at least a month ago with these talented MC's. It was supposed to be for this one magazine (I won't mention names) and for one reason or another I don't think they're planning on using it. So I'm gonna put this insightful interview to good use! KRS touches on everything from MC battles to Soulja Boy while Buckshot gives us insight on his fondest Pac memory and what he thinks of auto-tune.

In 2008 you were given an award from BET, mainly for your “Stop The Violence Movement”. Can you explain this movement?

KRS-One: In 1989 a guy got stabbed for his gold chain and died at one of the concerts that I was at. It was the last concert of a tour called “The Dope Jam Tour”. The head of A & R, a women named Anne Carley, was there and was so moved by the incident she ran over to me and said “we have got to do something, it is getting out of control”. She went and got Nelson George. Nelson George, Anne Carley and myself then formed the “Stop The Violence Movement”. Then we went out and solicited the help of D-Nice as the producer, Doug E. Fresh came up with the chorus, called everybody and the people that came are the one’s who appeared on the record “Self Destruction”. “Self Destruction” raised $600,000 for the National Urban League for there literacy programs because we realized that the two major courses of violence is illiteracy, meaning if you can’t read you’re more likely to express yourself in a physical way because you can’t express yourself in words and then also poverty.

Many believe that you and MC Shan were the first to verbally attack one another during a battle. What are your thoughts about this notion?

KRS-One: Rap battles have been going on since the beginning. There’s a gentlemen named H. Rap Brown, he has a book called “Die Nigger Die!”, book came out in 1969. And in that book he talks about a concept called the “Dozens”. Basically black kids in the hood would get together all across the United States and diss each other with words. The point was we’re not gonna hit each other, we’re not gonna beat, shoot, rob, steal, kill, mane one another. Now that’s been going on since 1959, there’s a documentation that’s why I go to H. Rap Brown’s book. 1969 he writes that he was in Baton Rouge Louisiana battling cats on the corner in 1959. He said he had to battle girls because girls were the best freestylers and the best battles.

This one's for Buckshot. You were working on an unreleased album titled “One Nation” with Tupac. What are some of your memories of him?

Buckshot: The Outlawz and I were talking about him at the house and they said that Pac told them to “make sure you listen to Buckshot”. When they said that to me it was mind blowing. That was one of my most illest experiences.

What was the process like in making this album?

KRS-One: This album to record it, to produce it, to do it, it was the hardest project in my career to do and the simplest. Buck is the president, Buck is running his company, there’s no other person to go to. There’s no where to hide. That’s something that’s really refreshing.

The song “Robot” talks about the auto-tune craze. Do you think auto-tune is coming to an end?

Buckshot: Of course it’s gonna come to a medium and then a minimum. There a lot of people out there that are so far behind because you still believe that making a auto-tune record is gonna get you on. The only person who got on with it really was T-Pain. People like Puffy and people like Kanye and everybody else that used it, they got on without using it and then they used it to add style and musical technique. But I don’t think no one from this point will ever get what T-Pain got.

With up and coming artists like Soulja Boy, do you think rap will ever reach a point where it goes back to it’s roots?

KRS-One: Real talk, “Rappers Delight” was just as stupid as Soulja Boy’s music. We was lovin’ that shit, “I got a coupe DeVille with the diamond ring”, and all that shit we was with it. But our parents? They was like wait a minute, that’s not music, turn that noise off. I would say to everyone, force yourself to like Soulja Boy. Because the one thing Soulja Boy will keep you is young.

Being an artist, do you ever get to the point where you get sick of music?

Buckshot: Nah, hell no. Never. Are you crazy? You can take everything away from me but you can’t take music and consciousness. Cuz with those two things I can rebuild everything. Without consciousness I can’t accept my music and without music I can’t build anything. Everything I build is harmony, everything I do is a flow.

Zumbi from Zion-I Interview

Zumbi was kind enough to make some time for RRHH and answer a hand full of questions. My webcam wasn't working so we had to do it like this. Hope you enjoy!

In part 1 Zumbi touches on everything from Hyphy music to how he "writes raps like an author".





In part 2 Zumbi talks about his name change, his opinions on The Grouch, and the Oscar Grant tragedy. For those of you who don't know, Oscar Grant was the man who was fatally shot by a BART police officer on New Years Day.





In part 3 Zumbi speaks about his take on Darfur, the meaning of the song Silly Putty, and the infamous Radiohead remixes.

Horrorshow Interview

Normally I'm the type to discover music on my own, by way of the internet, magazines or even through related bands. When I first heard about the Horrorshow it was through a good friend of mine. So obviously I had to give them a listen. When I did I was pleasantly surprised. Horrorshow hailing from Australia consists of Adit (producer) and Solo (vocals). With that being said these guys don't need much of an introduction.














Your beats are what first drew me to your music. Do you find you are sampling material, or are you creating original material in the studio?
We do a bit of both to be honest. Adit can play bass and guitar and a little bit of keys as well so he mixes those elements of live instrumentation in with samples and synths and all kinds of shit. Sometimes a beat will be entirely drawn from one sample or a collection of samples put together and sometimes he'll play the whole thing live. There's one track on our album that we recorded with a band and also some others where we got friends to come in and play instruments on top of samples - - it really depends on what we're trying to achieve with the track.

A couple of videos featured on your Myspace show you performing with a live band. Is it hard to take your songs and reproduce them with a live band on stage? Have you ever considered adding a permanent full band to Horrorshow to perhaps gain a more mainstream appeal?
It's not hard to take our music and play it with a live band because when we do that we're not too concerned about exactly re-creating the original track, we prefer to just take the original track as a starting point and develop a version of the track which is gonna work with the live band format. Obviously it's a very different kettle of fish and you can get a very different sound with all those instruments so we like to play around with that - it's more fun that way. As far as making the band permanent, that set was a special one off thing we did for our album launch. With that said, it was a lot of fun and worked really well so it's definitely something we'll think about doing a bit more of in the future. All of the musicians in that video are our friends and most of them we see them or play with fairly regularly. But if we were to do that it wouldn't be for mainstream appeal - it'd be because it sounds fresh. There's something very rewarding about working on a bunch of songs for so long and then hearing a band transform them into something else all together.

Some of your songs mention "Sydney hip-hop politics," with references to clothing and style. How do you see Sydney hip-hop culture affect your music, and in your mind, how does Sydney hip-hop differ from that of mainstream American rap?
Sydney hip hop culture affects, or at least has affected, my mindstate and the way I see the world and my city. Sydney has a great vibe and increasingly alot of dope hip hop is being made here, but there's also some stuff which is pretty wack. I guess in some ways that added to my hunger to try and make our own attempt at bringing what we have to the table. We also all had a keen interest in graffiti while we were growing up in the "scene" and I think through that we got more of a feel for hip hop and all its elements, the importance of style etc. To me hip hop from Sydney is so different from mainstream American rap I'm not sure where to start but in alot of ways they're just reflective of the environments that birthed them, just the same set of tools - beats, rhymes, cuts, call and response etc - being used to reflect on what are two very different societies.

Would you like to take your music worldwide? What do you see the challenges are in bringing your style of hip-hop to a global audience?
Of course we'd like to take our music worldwide. It's not really somethign we're specifically aiming for because in reality it's a pipedream - exporting australian hip hop to the rest of the world is a difficult task I think because in a lot of ways it deals with distinctly australian issues and voices and so it's not always as appealing to people from other countries. With that said I've had people hit us up from Mexico, Germany, Portugal, London, the U.S. and all kinds of other places saying they're enjoying the music so hopefully one day we can take our music in some form overseas. Some acts from Oz are starting to do so now and that's really exciting, hopefully they can break down some barriers for the rest of us.

When I first heard the name "Horrorshow" I instantly thought of heavy metal music. Do you think your guys' name has affected people's willingness to give your music a listen?
Possibly - who really knows. I think it's worked both ways cos we get some pretty scary looking metal fans who add us on myspace obviously having checked us out for the same reason you have. We definitely get very mixed reactions on the name but I'm not too fussed. Alot of people say to me "oh but you guys don't sound like metal" or "I thought you guys would be like horrorcore" but really they're not looking past the initial aesthetic or imagery of the name and looking into what it actually means, which is what it's all about to me.

If someone was to listen to you guys for the first time what tracks would you suggest they listen to and does that differ from your own personal favorites?
I would say No Rides Left, possibly also Waiting For The 5:04, All Summer Long and Choose None or something like that. To be honest I struggle alot with personal favourites, choosing a favourite track is like trying to say which one of your kids you like the best. One might be ugly, one might be funny, one might like to party alot and one might be really depressed but they're all my kids and I love em to death. I think that's the thing with our first album, we were experimenting with creating a lot of different moods and so there's quite a wide spectrum of stuff on there. But yeah - I would say No Rides Left, i think it best captures what we were tryign to do with that album.

So whats next for you guys? What do you hope to accomplish in life and in music?
Touring, a new album - we're trying to stay busy and make the most of what opportunities come our way. As far as what I want to accomplish in life and music? That's a question that I don't really know the answer to. The past 12 months have been absolutely crazy for us and we've already been so lucky to have some of the experiences we've had - touring with Hermitude, getting down with all the Elefant Traks crew and playign some really awesome shows alongside our friends like Spit Syndicate - we're really just taking it as it comes. But hopefully we'll be around (in music and in life) for a while to come..

If you guys were to have a metaphor for your music what would it be?
Um... I'll make one up. Our music is a big fat joint - it lifts your spirits, makes you laugh sometimes, makes you hungry for more, is best when shared with friends and above all it makes you think.

I'm definitely sold on you guys but for those who aren't or may not have heard of you yet, what's something you would say to persuade them?
I would simply say (and I don't know if this would convince people or not) that our music is honest. A lot of people who know me and Adit will listen to our music and be like "yo that really sounds like you guys" and I would have to agree with them. I think it's weird that I should be using that characteristic as something which will differentiate us from the pack or whatever but I feel like a lot of people these days aren't making music that's really that honest. They're making music which is trying to sound like some kind of preconceived idea of what it should sound like - people just copying each other or writing songs which are saying very little at all about themselves and that's not really our style. We're not reinventing the wheel by any means but we are making honest, heartfelt music and we do put a lot of time and effort and thought into it. so check us out... you never know, you might like it.

Make sure to check out the Horrorshow on their myspace and once you do that you can support these guys by buying their new album, The Grey Space.

Q & A With Equipto

I'm really excited to present to the readers a quality Bay Area rapper's answers and opinions on a wide range of things including politics, Europe, and music (of course). So enjoy this "Q & A" with Equipto.




















So with the whole election deal still being fresh, what's your take on Obama?
growin up,,i never thought i wuld c the day we would have a black president..cus thats how we wer raised i guess..its funny,,cus i wusnt a super "go obama" type of dude during the election..dont git me wrong,,i voted 4 him,,but i jus wusnt that gung-ho about it..but,,the nite he won,,i was watchn him walk out ther on that stage & i shed a tear or 2..i culdnt help it if i tried,,jus sumthin that hit me rit then & ther..i no thers a catch 2it tho..i dont think they wuld let a black man up in the white house unless they had sumthin up ther sleeves...but,,im happy 4now..i jus hope he dus sumthin!!

What comes more naturally to you musically; making beats, writing or rapping and which one do you enjoy most?
well,,i dont make beats like that..i mite find a sample & take it 2 1 of my boys 2 flip or wut not..im jus not a technical/computer type of guy..i wuld have 2 say rappin in the booth comes easiest 2me..the writting process is more of a journey & experimental...cus after i write it,,i no how i wanna spit it & how i want it 2 sound..its a trial & error process..

How do you feel about the whole "hyphy" movement? It seems to have lost some of it's steam. Do you think it's ever gonna come back?
i love that the bay got our own thang nationally or wutnot..the world knows the bay is hyphy & thats dope,,,but they need 2 no that we got more 2 offer than jus goin dumb or stupid..the bay is diverse & we need 2b respected for that..as for it commin back,,its a lifestyle out here for alot of these youngstas..so i dont think its goin anywer as far as culture & their outlook on life..but its a part of history now,,so itll eventually evolve & move on 2 sumthin else..

With the economy the way it is and the whole internet craze of music being downloaded illegally, does this force you to find other ways of providing for yourself and others outside of music?
honestly,,i think cd's will only b around for a couple more years,,if that..people jus download shit & miss the fun of reading the credits,,shout outs & pictures of the artist..i think beein frum the city (frisco) gives u an upperhand on survival out here..alot of my friends are hustlers & pretty much got ther hand in everythang ther is 2 git in2...so,,we find a way if the music dont pay...but see,,i du music cus i love it,,it aint my hustle like that..i dont put my all in2 beein succesful wit this music,,but thats jus me...i dont wanna lose the joy i git frum making music so i try 2 keep things fresh & innocent,,in a way..

I know you probably get this all the time but what's it like working with Andre Nickatina? How has he effected you and your music?
dre's a cool dude..we knew of eachother b4 the music..i wus on haight st & he wus in the fillmore..he took me 2 a few in stores & shows around 2000 & that helped me expand my fanbase & expose myself 2 a broader audience...frum ther i jus did my thang & kept pushin..

If you could go on tour with 3 other artists who would they be and why?
i would like 2 tour wit any of the living legends,,any of the hieroglyphics & mayb planet asia or sumthin..thers alota fokes i like,,but im mentioning groups or artist that i think wuld help me git a bigger fanbase & that r on the same kina vibe im on or wut not..i like 2 have fun wen im on the road..

Growing up as a kid what were some of your dreams and aspirations?
its funny cus i dont remember sayn thangs like,,"i wana b this wen i git older"!..i been writtn raps since i wus like 10 yrs old man..did the grafitit thang,,alil breakdancin,,all that..im a product of this hip hop shit..my dad wus a jazz promoter & dj,,so i wus a lil kid goin 2 jazz shows,,beein backstage,,goin 2 radio stations 4 interviews,,checknem in to hotels,,..the whole music on the road thang..so i guess u culd say this is wut i wanted 2 du since i wus a kid..

I heard somewhere that you're into the whole Europe scene? What about Europe draws you into it? Also are you familiar with Europe's hip hop scene?
i think anywer but the usa is a great place for hip hop..thats jus my opinion cus i like the innosence they have towards the music..of course they started late or wut not,,but thats part of the beauty...i think as hip hop artist we have a responsibility 2 show,,teach & express wer we come frum & wut the music is all about..me beein half japanese,,i felt exactly that way wen i went 2 japan..i seen cats thinkn that all hip hop wus is snoop dogg & eminem..its fine,,but that aint all hip hop is about..bottom line iz,,in order 2 git 2 wer we wanna,,we gota no wer it came frum..

To this day, what is something that you still desire? P.S. I read somewhere that Santa Claus checks my blog so I'll make sure to put in a good word for you.
man..thers alota things that still bring a smile 2 my face..but honestly,,thers no feelin like hearin a brand new dope ass beat that aint nobody heard but u...beein in the studio blowin trees writtin wutever comes to u @ the time..that "feelin free" process of makin music..thers no comparison..thers a certain vibe & feelin i git wen i hear songs i love,,,& i jus wanna give that feelin back 2 music lovers..peace..

Make sure to check out Equipto's myspace page!

Interview With Akin From CYNE

The long awaited and much anticipated interview with Akin from CYNE is finally here!














What was it like working with Nujabes?
working with nujabes was cool, he sent us the beat, cise already had a concept for the track and i just ran with it.

Can you elaborate on your verse in the song "Feather"?
when i wrote the verse for feather i was just pondering on the different irony's in life ya know. so i was thinking about really letting go of all fears an restraints and just doing you. "trying to be dali when i write" i love dali's paintings and surrealism in general so through that in there. somewhere online someone fucked up my verse completely, i guess i should start posting my lyrics.

Rumor has it that you live in France. How's the transition from Florida to France going?
france is cool and paris has always been a great place of inspiration for me. the winter can be harsh but then again i'm from the sunshine state so ya know i'm a bit spoiled. but all in all Paris is awesome.

I myself am I big fan of French rap. For those who don't know too much about the French rap game, got any suggestions for artists to listen too?
to be honest with you i haven't really checked any thing out to deep but there are a bunch of dope underground artist like Tchad Unpoe and Kerjo that i've collaborated with.

How do you feel your music has grown throughout the years?
i think i've grown since CYNE's debut record so naturally my music is gonna grow as well. i like to think the music is a direct reflection of me so i hope to keep evolving.

CYNE stands for, "Cultivating Your New Experience". Can you explain this and how you guys came up with the name?
our homie al (norman beats) came up with the acronym. we already had cyne. really it's just kinda a play on words, we are trying to say that signs are a universal language that people respect ya know like stop signs and things. so basically we're trying to make music in that vein, stuff that you might or might not dig but you gotta respect where we're coming from.

Your new album "Pretty Dark Things" has been long awaited. What have you been doing in your time off? Also what does this title mean to you and what can listeners expect from this cd?
well we took our time to make PDT. i'm proud of the record and i think it's a real time sensitive album with everything that's going on in world right now. i hope folks check it out and get what they wanna get from it, but above all it's honest and real talk from some cool dudes.

I read that you guys have a song about the philosophy of Rousseau. For those who might not know, in which song do you mention this and what's your take on this subject?
well rousseau is a french philosopher that interests me cuz he writes on themes with man and nature, or man and society and every involving that. i find those specific themes interesting and inspiring as well. the track is called "rousseau" thanks homie.

Be sure to check out CYNE & Akin on their myspace pages.

Q & A With Tonedeff

If your vocab is as minuscule as mine, here are some definitions to help you out as you read this post.

Poignant (poi-gnant): being to the point. Function: adjective

Catharsis (ca-thar-sis): a release of emotional tension, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit. Function: noun

With having that helpful tool which some of you may need, I feel confident starting the interview portion of this post.




















I read somewhere that you can spit 13.5 syllables per second. Were you born with this gift?
iCON the Mic King told me that it was weird that I didn't speak spanish (although being Cuban/Colombian), because how easily words seemed to roll off my tongue. I dunno, I guess it just kinda comes naturally to me. Hopefully, it sticks around, so that I can do cool "Grandpa" tricks at my future retirement home.

The track you did with KRS-One "Clear 'Em Out" is rumored to be directed at Nelly. Anything you want to add to this assumption?
I think that assumption was pretty much answered in full the day it came out - hence the huge amount of media coverage and the record war that song started. (For those of you who missed it - google it).

I didn't realize we were making a diss record at the time, and I'm not 100% sure KRS did either...but had I know, I actually woulda wrote something far more poignant to the situation.

What has working with CunninLynguists done for your career and vise versa?
Well, they're my favorite rap group to begin with, and I believe both of them (Deacon & Kno) are incredibly talented musicians. We're all on the same QN5 team, so we help eachother out however we can - whether it's shopping beats, setting up tours, designing covers, trading verses, etc.

Granted, they have 4 amazing albums and 2 mixtapes out, and they have a much larger fanbase than I do...so it's definitely a blessing to be able to appear with them on songs and tag along with them on the road. Those dudes are like family to me.

What's your take on skit songs and what do you think it adds/subtracts to or from the cd as a whole?
I think when Skits work...they work. And when they don't - it's instant skip material. Muffuckas been doing skits since De La Soul is dead...and like anything in Hip Hop, it got kinda outta hand for a while. But I think it's settled into the Hip Hop landscape enough that people kind of expect them to see other sides of their favorite artists besides what's being presented on the songs.

Like, I didn't have any skits on Archetype, cause I didn't believe they fit on the record, but Extended Famm's "Happy Fuck You Songs" had a bunch...and I STILL crack up from the skits on that record. Good comedy is as timeless as good music, so if you can find the balance...you're good to go and I don't see a problem with it.

You passed up on some deals with a handful of major record companies to pursue a college degree. How did you come to that decision?
Basically, I was 16/17 years old and I could already feel the machine trying to change me. Not to mention, I was supposed to be working with an ex-manager who I didn't see eye to eye with regarding my career. They basically wanted to turn me into The Fresh Prince Part 2 and have other people produce my music. I only make music because I get to MAKE the music I rhyme over - so this was pretty much the deal killer for me.

Industry people have never known what to do with me, cause I'm Latino and rap in English and I don't really make music that people in Junior High get into. Since I was able to realize this early on, I pretty much could give a fuck about what anyone expects from me or wants me to do. I'm a musician first and foremost and I go wherever the Muse takes me. So, at the end of the day, I figured a college degree in design would suit my future better than gambling it on rap. I'm glad I did too...cause there's about 50 people that can live off rap alone in the states...and I'm certainly not one of em.

In your opinion who do you think are the top 5 producers of all time?
Well, 'Producer' for me isn't just someone who "makes beats". Also, I try to take in all the music I can, from all different genres. I generally respect folks who can flip musical styles and develop the sound of multiple artists differently, so that the artist's record is the best recorded version of that particular artist possible.

So, with that said, all time, all genres, no order - Sir George Martin, Dr. Dre, Jon Brion, Quincy Jones, Rick Rubin...with an honorable mention to Timbaland. 6th Man!

At the age of 16 you were on the Arsenio Hall show and ended up winning the grand prize of the shows national talent search. Can you describe this experience?
I go into the whole thing in depth on the song "morethanthis" from Underscore. Without paraphrasing it too much...I think the most valuable thing that I gained from that whole experience was seeing how the people around me reacted to a little exposure. People really lose their fucking minds and weird shit happens. I really don't like what fame does to people - even at that limited scale. I didn't change at all though...so that's definitely good piece of mind for me.

Can you explain your verse on the CunninLynguists track "Love 'Aint"? Were you going through any particular heartbreak at the time or was this verse based purely on past experiences?
That verse definitely came out of a rough patch in a relationship. Those are very REAL words and experiences in there. I think the verse is pretty self-explanatory as a whole, but do know that I wrote it as catharsis.

Also on CunninLynguists track "The Gates" you talk about interracial relationships and racism. How have these things affected you?
Well, "The Gates" is a fictitional story about a fictitional character who has a conversation with St. Peter at the gates of heaven. Interracial relationships in his story were a complicated thing that this character manifested his uncertainty and lack of strength of in very evil ways.

As a Latino, I've definitely had my share of fucked up experiences dealing with ignorant folks who can't tolerate seeing me with a white woman, etc. It's just the world we live in today. It sucks...but I live NYC, so those attitudes aren't as prevalent as they might be in other parts of the world.

Check out Tonedeff on his myspace and his QN5 blog!!

Q & A With Luckyiam From The Living Legends

When I asked the Living Legends if they'd be available for an interview they replied, "Who do you want to interview?" Now this question struck me by surprise. I'm usually the one asking tough questions. Who should I interview? I mean 9 members and they're all very talented. So I listened to some songs searching for an answer. I started with "Never Fallin", being it's my favorite song of theirs. I've had one of Lucky's quotes from that song on my myspace page for days. I guess their question wasn't as tough as I initially thought and my decision was made.




















What's your take on todays mainstream rap world?
Ummm, it is what it is. Some good (Kanye, Jay, Outkast, T.I., NaS) then there's a lot crap. It's not that different than the indie scene, the rappers just get shot more.

Being in a group with 9 members, how often do ego's clash and how does it affect your performances/tour experiences and even cd's?
We don't have ego's so we never clash. (Hahaaa!!) It makes performances fun & unpredictable and sometimes unbearable. Tour stories turn into seedy novels or fight club and the quality of everyone's individual cd's is effected by a healthy sense of competition.

Would you rather succeed independently or within the group? Do you think other members would feel the same way?
I was the last one in Legends to pursue my solo career. Personally I'd rather rap in a group and be a standout member on a team due to the merit of my style & skill. The concept of being a solo artist is very narcissistic in my opinion. To me, rappers and solo singers come off like they're on some "Me, me, me, me" look & listen to me shit!"

I think I stand alone on this point, everyone else in my crew has proved where they are at with this topic, meaning everyone has solo careers. It's every man for himself around here, that's the way that we work. I aint mad though, get yours. I guess it would suck though if I wasn't a decent solo artist.

It seems that all rappers like collecting shoes and cars. Do you have any interesting collections that aren't so obvious?
I collect babies. I have one on every continent and every race combination. They are custom made/limited edition.

My favorite verse of all time, hands down, is the verse you do on the song "never fallin". Can you explain that verse and what it means to you?
WHOA! Exaggeration! Are you serious? Thank you. That verse was about me and how I'm a scum bag womanizer/liar and it was written in Maui where we recorded that album "Classic". I had a secret love child and my girl @ the time didn't know shit. It was eating me up inside.. I left clues about the situation in various songs. So on "Never Falling" I further told on myself in a emo-ish metaphorical way "learning forces me to search, exsume all my skeletons a room full of demons with a angel as a prisoner, she's tortured for the visitors, listeners read between the lines and stay inquisitive to dissect these sentences". Which was basically saying I was too chicken shit to come clean but I spill my guts constantly in songs. She came to visit me on the island and she's chillen in a house where we are listening to mixes of songs with all these hidden messages in them. Inner demons on the loose flying in and out of ears. Nuff said, if you listen to my raps and look a little deeper you can catch all my fuck up's and triumphs. The poor angel I was going out with was just a prisoner of my madness.

Due to scheduling conflicts, how often if ever are you guys all in the same room working on a song? Has anyone written a verse or a line that got vetoed by the rest of the group?
hahaaaa..I like your questions they are very un-lame. Well, earlier this year we all got together in the studio and wrote songs for the Gathering..but other than that we are only ever in the same place at the same time if we are playing a gig.

And a couple of guys have gotten they're verses vetoed or removed from a song completely .

(I never have) But during the "Gathering" sessions The Grouch got mad @ me for making a cocaine reference on a song called "Where u @?"and a huge argument broke out while I was laying my verse..it was mayhem. It's all love though, we are family and families feud sometimes.

You guys ever consider adding or subtracting members? Besides all the rumors, I am available!
hahaaaaa... There was a time when I wanted Pep Love or Fatlip in the crew. As for subtracting..I think Legends is blood in/blood out. You gotta get jumped out.

For the 95% of people who will never get a chance to perform on stage, can you describe what it's like? What kind of emotions do you go through?
it's magical..I've had a handful or more of life altering moments in the live arena. Connecting with the supporters or earning new fans is euphoric. Bringing people to tears performing "Memory Loss" for example, it makes me remember what's important in life and my pursuit of art.

What are some of the pros and cons of being in such a big group?
this question is a variation of a previous one. I take back my un-lame comment!

Pros: variety of styles

Cons: touring is F'n expensive for 8 plus doots.
Pros: we have strength in numbers
Cons: we are only as strong as our weakest link
Pros: we can kill a live show and fill the entire stage up
Cons: all the single guys want the same ol pussy.

What's your favorite random place to eat at when your on tour?
Cracker muthafuckin Barrel bitch! Excuse me, I meant Cracker Barrel. I Love that place. I love the old style gift shop, the rocking chairs out front, the green beans and mash potatoes, the little puzzles they have for you at the tables while you wait for the food, the sweet tea and the overt racism.. God Bless America dammit.

In most interviews someone will ask about any crazy tour stories. What about any crazy stories outside of touring?
I was in Vegas a few weeks ago for my homies Bday. We had a dope ass suite on the 51st floor of the Wynn. The NBA was in town, it was the last pre-Olympic basketball game, they whooped Canada's ass & there was a big boxing match going on as well..

So due to these events there were soooo many fine women in town for the weekend. You could walk around the casinos dragging your jaw in amazement. Anywho..I ran buck fucking wild Thursday - Saturday then I burnt out. This caused me to punk out and stay in Saturday night and watch adultswim or jackoff to hotel porn. (*Order the porn you want to see..finish yourself off..then call the front desk and say the movie isn't working right & they clear your room of the charge*Ssssshhh)

After I was fast asleep my homie comes back up to the suite drunk as hell @ like 4am and he's like come on lets go out doot. So I did. Nuthing major, We went downstairs to B-bar @ the Wynn..5 minutes later my boy met a Cuban Cougar..raaaaawr. She had a thick ass Cuban accent, nice boob job..She was pretty cool for a 45 year old "possible" hooker @ 4am. She reminded me of Charro. It turned out she wasn't a hooker so they kept talking. He wanted to get her upstairs to our suite but she said she was waiting for her friend and then she proceeded to do the usual "girl thing" co-signing for her friend, building her up..telling us that her friend was beautiful & blah..blah..freakin blah...We didn't belive her and it was 5am so it wasn't really gonna matter anyways. Time passed, I fucking cracked and drunk-looked at my ex's myspace page like a dumbass so I felt like a piece of heartbroken drunken shit..

Time passed & the Cougar's friend finally made it to the bar, it was pushin 6am But she was HOT as fuck! OmFgN! Ok, besides the fact that it was 6am & she was a stripper (weird) & she had a 8 month old baby @ home. She looked like she never went through the pregnancy part of new motherhood. We took them upstairs and wasted a good hour of our lives talking to them about every fucking thing on earth, battling bad translations and exhaustion,drunkeness and other elements. Finally someone in the room got smart & decided to get it cracking, so next thing ya know titty's started coming out all over the room and the mood changed quickly. To make this long-winded story a little bit shorter. I woke up soaked in breast milk with the sweet taste of the nectar of life in my mouth, I can't say anymore, I've said way too much, fuckin crazy doot.

There you have it. Another interview in the books! Somehow I've managed to pull off interviewing some of the coolest and most talented rappers out there so far. I am definitely lucky! Make sure to check out Luckyiam and the Living Legends on their myspace pages.

Ask Grieves

For my second interview I have a young MC that goes by the name of Grieves. Albeit new to the underground rap scene Grieves has already made quite an impression on a lot of people, including one of his good buddies, Mac Lethal. I asked Grieves if he'd be down to be interviewed and he responded, "As long as you ask me sweet off the wall questions. I'm tired of the run of the mill hip hop questions". He also added "ask me fun stuff", so somewhere throughout this interview I hope I've achieved a balance between fun and professional.



















Any other skills besides rockin' the mic and provoking the ladies on stage?
hell yes! despite my toothpick appearance..i love food. so i've developed quite the skills in culinary yum yums over the years. that and i worked in kitchens for my whole life.... other than that... i'm pretty accurate with a javelin, i can hold my breath for like a minute and 30 seconds, i can out run murder dice.

The first time I heard you my initial thought was that you had an atmosphere esque style. How do you feel about that comparison?
no.. i've never been to space.. i heard the russians used to send monkeys up there...

You say on your myspace page that you like "missing punches". Explain.
i got drunk, the hippie talked shit, i missed the punch, we all laughed, he may have been an alien... may have...

If you could choose a character from the movie Office Space, who would you say fits you best?
i'm not old enough to see r rated movies... but if i had to guess.. i'd say i'd be simba.

Having lived in Seattle, what do you think about the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City?
who gives a shit?

I heard through your myspace page that you're moving to San Diego. Why the change of scenery?
i'm going down there to spend some time saving beached manatee's.. that and i like the sun.. and.. my roommates in seattle smell like smoked meat and moth balls.

Blonde's or brunettes?
both at the same time...

Scar Gardens is my favorite song of yours and I'm guessing it's about an ex. Does she know the songs about her?
oh she knows...

Ren or Stimpy?
did you know whales can grow to be a 100 years old?

What's your favorite cartoon from the 90's?
barbra walters

Ever been so drunk that it made performing hard (referring to performing on stage)?
every single fucking time...

If you were a male stripper, what would your stage name be?
david copafeel

What's your take on the DH and astro turf?
if there's grass on the field play ball.

What's your biggest personality flaw?
i get nervous when people watch me eat..

Out of all the things you own, whats your most prized possession?
my Michael jordan rookie card.. covered in syrup.. i'm serious.

You just recently were on tour, what's the best story you took home with you?
cinco de mayo.. i did a shot for every song on stage.. blacked out.. got in a fight with a lesbian crip who kept calling me fag... and almost got arrested at the airport for stealing the wheel chair and doing wheelies in it.

Your first name is Ben, your rap name is Grieves, being from the Bay Area I remember a guy who's name was Ben Grieve that played for the Oakland A's. I'm guessing thats where the name Grieves came from. Why Ben Grieve?
because everything that isn't can't be! and everything that is can't not be! i don't watch baseball.

After the interview was over me and Grieves exchanged a couple more emails and maybe one too many "I love yous". We promised each other that we'd hang out when he's touring through Salt Lake City. Grieves added, "nothin says fun like 3.2 beer and flat chested emo chicks!... just kidding", the only problem is, I don't live in Salt Lake and I'm pretty sure Grieves knows this. The jokes don't stop with this guy and I'm sure it'll be one of the many reason we'll all be talking about Grieves for days to come. Also be sure to check out Grieves on his myspace page and buy his new cd "88 Keys and Counting" when it comes out November 12th.