One Time @ Bandcamp With... Jus Moni

I've been spotlighting a number of talents found via Bandcamp, until now they've been from outside of Seattle. Last week I sat down at the Faire Cafe with Jus Moni to talk about her debut project and her life here in the six. Tonight she releases the project with a special celebration at Chop Suey. If you are still in town you should definitely check it out.

You grew up in Seattle?
Yeah.

Where abouts?
Central District and Becon Hill, between the two.

What were your parents playing, what did you grow up hearing in the house?
Oh, well I've always stayed with my grandmother and she is Cambodian so we've always listened to Cambodian music. But what I gravitated towards Pete Rock, CL Smooth, Pac, Biggie, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, just a mixture.

Do you still listen to the Cambodian music?
Yeah always.

When did you start signing?
It's really corny because people are always like I started singing as soon as I could make sounds, but I probably did. But when I started singing and taking it seriously was probably when I was like 12 or something.

How did you connect with the heads you have on your record?
Me and Lace met early last year, not sure how we met but we just did. It was probably through mutual friends. We finally got the opportunity to work with each other and put out the single and that was great.

With Khingz, he is like my brother, he has always been like my older brother. So finally got the opportunity to make music with him, that's awesome.

Cripsy I don't know that well, I met him through Khingz.

In the days when Laced Up used to be open on Pike and we all just kicked it in the shop and SOTA Boys would come through, well Thad was working there and we didn't know he could rap for hella long. And then Parker and Nate just came along. That was some years ago. I knew that Parker had skills when it came to recording and engineering and all that stuff so I was like let me hit up Parker before I make this project.

With Kuddie, it's funny we have never even met in real life and Kuddie listened to a song I was on the hook of with Thad, Good Sin and Tay Sean. So he heard that and hit me up on twitter saying can I send you some beats? I was like yeah whats up. I was sleeping on his beats for hella long and when I finally got to a point where I was ready to start creating music I hit him up asking for permission and he sent me even more. That's why the majority of the project is all Kuddie.

Your Relationship with Sin goes back too?
Kellen is also like my brother, they all consider me like their little sister but we are really close. He has been in my life for a couple years too.

What can you tell me about the session for that track, "Turn Me On"?
Nooo… Actually, let's see. We were all in the studio and Tay Sean is hella funny. In the studio, even in life he is just hella funny so we always have a good time when we get together. Then Thad, The Good Sin, it was just funny. We came together and wrote our verses together, laid it down, it all came together really quick.

Is that you rapping next to The Good Sin on "Almost Lover"?
Yes.

Are you gonna be rapping more?
I do rap. Sometimes. I only rap for a verse, even half a verse. But I do rap. And I do have a side project called the Game Show Winners. It's Khingz, DJ WD40, Amos, Belicia, and Hollis from Canary Sing. We are called the Game Show Winners and I'm rapping all in the Game Show Winners.

Is that gonna out at some point?
Yes, at the release party we have something special.

Did you have the whole project done in your head before you sat down in the studio with Parker?
Not all of it, most of it was like party music that I had written out to all the beats and when I came to Parker there was still some production that I hadn't written over and that's where he came in, started giving me ideas. I really trust Parker's judgement and his musical genius and so we would go back and forth and stand on tables in the studio and come up with ideas and start spitting out words and it just came together.

So he was providing more than just being a technical recording engineer?
Definitely, that is why he is executive producer on the project. He had so much input with how things sound, what kind of harmonies can I use, how should the song be arranged, can we cut this verse here and put it here, he was all into it. So I appreciate him. I've never been in the studio with somebody who can help me and guide me in the direction I need to go to make an incredible song, so it worked.

What are you working on now, after this?
Game Show Winners stuff. But also I want to travel with Ready For Life, like next year. But I'm sure I'm gonna get back in the studio and start working on the album Spring time next year and it come out early 2012.

Growing up were you hearing Seattle rap?
Probably when I was younger it was like Absynian Creole. It was probably just because I knew Gabe and Khalil. Other than that not really, I wasn't really checking for Seattle rap either. A lot of Seattle Rap is wack.

A lot of what you mentioned was rap, were you listening to much 90s R&B?
Oh Monica? Me and Monica go back, that was my girl. I didn't mess with Aaliyah that much but I sure did know all of her songs lyrics. Not really. I so much gravitated towards just hiphop and rap as my influences and even what I listen to daily. De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest. Tribe Called Quest is probably the biggest influence in my whole music career into even what I do, how I perform, everything.

Have you been doing shows for awhile?
I have, I started doing shows when I was like 12. Seattle young people's project used to host the MLK hiphop show that happened every year in Seattle and we used to have our shows at the Vera Project so we'd rap at the Vera Project or have a guest appearance at like Chop Suey or something for Gabe. It's been a minute, I haven't locked down the town yet but it's been a minute.

What's your set like?
For the release party I'll be performing the first half of my set with DJ WD40 and the second half of my set with Big World Breaks, the live band. So it's gonna be a whole different feel, atmosphere.

Have you rocked with them before?
No, I don't think I have. Maybe with Aaron Walker-Loud just playing drums before at Lo-Fi or something but not with the whole band and just me singing.

So are you trying to get to performing with a live band?
Yeah definitely. I want to travel with the live band shit. I love my DJ, Waylon, he is awesome and he plays cuts. But just the sound of the live band, it's a different experience. You are able to bring people in and take them there.

Are you gonna be getting any DJ WD40 beats in the future?
Well that's the Game Show Winners, all him and Amos.

Is there any modern stuff you are listening to?
Helladope, I fuck with Helladope. SOTA. Now with the modern stuff I really listen to local, modern shit. I fuck with Wiz, not heavy but I fuck with him. Currensy, love that guy. U-N-I, Pac Div, Kendrick Lamar, Diamond District. Those are some cats.

What's your favorite album of the year?
Oh shit… Album of the year would have to be Bilal. The album he just dropped, Airtights Revenge. Album of the year.

Who would you like to collaborate with outside of Seattle?
I really want to work with Exile and Oddisee. Filthy. My whole dream, like I'm living to work with Lauryn Hill one day. If that ever happens, I don't know what I'm gonna do, that's what I'm living for is that opportunity. Also on a lower scale, I'd love to work with Blu, I think that would be incredible. Such talented artists.

Last words?
Come to the show, Dec. 22nd!

---

Thanks to Moni for sitting down with me!

One Time @ Bandcamp With... Bodega Man

As per usual with the Bandcamp interview, if you missed Bodega Man's album check out the review of it from Monday! I came across this album just as it dropped in February, I'd just gotten a job and was starting to feel a little more on my feet. The job was serving students at my alma mater which didn't excite me much. One perk was I got to play music all night long, can't ever be mad at that! Bodega Man got a few spins there and a few in the whip, his lyrics about the struggle for a dollar mean something.

Introduce yourself? What should people know about Bodega Man?
Well the name is Bodega Man from East side of Long Beach. I’m a very humble emcee and a college grad with a lot to spit for the masses.

You grew up in the same area that Snoop Dogg did, what can you say about this community? Do you still live in that area?
Well, its a multi- racial community which includes Latinos, African Americans, Asians, and Samoans. Everyone in the community has different culture values and conflicts occur when the different cultures clash. The neighborhood is still rough but after a while, you learn to cope with the environment. I don’t live in the area anymore but I still hang around with my friends who live there.

Your first album never saw release due to it's poor recording quality, what did you change in that process to make your second album, The Jazz Album: Recession Thinking, of high enough quality to let the public hear?
A.T. (Average Thought) recommended me to his boy Matt who has a recording studio in his garage after hearing The Bodega Album. Once I recorded a few tracks from The Jazz Album, I kept in contact with Matt from there on. Matt knew what he was doing and gave me some direction for the album as well.



Your producer is A.T., how did you two meet? What is the collaborative process like between the two of you?
A.T. was trying to sell his MPC for 900 bucks and his beats. I didn’t really pay attention to it for two weeks because I had finals. Until one day I looked at his ad again. I wrote down his myspace page info, then I checked it out... man, I was speechless. You don’t come along around people like A.T. His style of beats is what i was looking for because I’ve always admired Jay Dilla beats, Pete Rock, Primo, and Madlib and A.T. had that style. I gave him a call and left a message on his phone. It took him about two days to call back but I had missed his call. He was selling his beats for 150 a pop but I didn’t have that kind of money so we talked it out and managed an agreement. Before he gave me any of his beats, I had to freestyle in front of him at his homeboys pad. When he started to freestyle, I stayed my ass quiet hahahhahhaha. Ever since then everything has been history.

The way A.T. and I handle our collaborative process is by feeling each others idea out or I tell him about the song that I’m writing and he makes a beat or he has a beat ready.

You are a college grad working in the service industry, how does this situation feed your creativity?Well I look at what I have and figure out how I’m going to make it. Even though I’m a college grad I still struggle to make ends meet. Thats when my creative juices start to drip and I’m able to write better music. I feel like people who start from the bottom have that hunger to show the people what its all about.

What did you grow up listening to? Who inspired you to start flowing?
I listen to everything from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, 2Pac, Snoop, Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, Nas, Wu-Tang, MC Hammer, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, oldies music, salsa etc. The people who really inspired me to flow were Mos Def, J-5, Nas, Common, and Talib kweli.

You mentioned that your next album, tentatively titled The Love Album may be your last. Is it still in the making? Still planning to have it be your exit? What would be next for you after that?
Yes, The Love Album: Love In Love Out will be my last album. I am working on it right now and I’m about three songs deep into already. After this album I’ll work on little tracks or throw out songs here and there when I get inspired to write. After this album I’m planing on producing with my boy Tech Advance and see where that goes. I wouldn’t be the greatest at it but I’ll try my best.

What is the overall vibe of Hip Hop in LA today?
In my opinion I feel like LA has lost its touch in hiphop. Most cats are stuck on their selves trying to make it with corny songs. Don’t get me wrong, I respect the hustle but dudes lost that touch. Once in a while you find true gems and say damn, thats hip hop. Overall, the vibe is alright.

Who are you listening to today?
I’m listening to the new Roots album, John Legend, Jose James, Mayer Hawthorne, Dam Funk, Aloe Blacc, Jay Electronica, Little Brother, Nas, 2Pac’s old material, Kindred The Family Soul, Eryka Badu, Stalley, Bilal, Black Keys, Black Spade, Corinne Bailey Rae, Fashawn, Currensy, Incubus, J. Cole, and Blu.



Outside of music, what are your other hobbies? What do you like to do for fun? Believe it or not one of my hobbies is running long distance. Running makes me clear out my mind and forget about everything and its soothing. For fun, I like to go out and find low key food places to eat, drink good beer, and cruise on my beach cruiser.

Are your parents fans of the music? Supportive of the creativity?
My mother loves the material but doesn’t understand some of my tracks. Sometimes I take my mom to my shows and she enjoys them. She’s very supportive in my creativity. I love her dearly.

What's the story behind the name Bodega Man?
Back in college when I did track and field, I was the run to guy if anybody needed anything cheap. If they needed clothes, cheap food, furniture, drugs... I was the run to guy. So that’s when I started telling people to call me Bodega Man because you could find anything cheap at bodegas. For those who don’t know what’s a bodega, it's a small store in the hood where you could find anything from food, shirts, etc except illegal drugs hahahhahha depending where you go.

Have you been to Seattle? Heard any modern hiphop from the town?
I’ve never been to Seattle but I would like to visit. As far as hiphop from Seattle, I’ve never heard of anyone.



Last words? Advice? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
My last words are for the people who are struggling and that’s to keep your head up through this recession. They say its over but its only over for the 1 percent who rule over us. The advice I would like to give to any emcee is to believe in your craft, never wait on people, and invest your money on yourself. I would like to give shout outs to my whole family, my sugarr, my friends, A.T., Tech-Advance, Flipa, Kiki iz Da Man from France, Young Dub from Arkansas, Daniel Funaki for his bomb pictures, Ashley Caprice and you could catch her at kbeach.org on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm, the whole Dirty Politicians camp, XP from the Rhyme Addicts, DJ Underground from the big ATL and you could catch him at djunderground.podomatic.com, Young Hype, Onwon, Bad Fish from the LBC, State of the Art, Unitus, DJ Yeraflavor, DJ Joni from Spain, Buddah from Reno, Dr. Ebony Utley and all the people who downloaded my craft... I would like to thank every single one of you who supported me either from youtube or my bandcamp site...Thank you.... my words of wisdom would be believe in yourself. peace out!!!!!!

One Time @ Bandcamp With... Poetik Force

The bandcamp discoveries keep flowing here at the MO HQ. On Monday I dropped off the funky and blunted debut album from Poetik Force called The Mary Jane Project - read the review here. As a young new voice emerging out of LA he isn't hopping on the coat tails of anyone, just steady doing his own thing with his team. Breath some fresh air and read up on who this kid is.

Introduce yourself? Who is Poetik Force? How long have you been making music?
Peace Peace. This is Poetik Force, Reppen from The COV 626 "The Cov' Originals"
I been Making Music for about 4 years going onto 5 now. Its been a bleesing creating music for the globe and for our fans.

Where did you grow up? How old are you?
I grew Up in West Covina, California, Beautiful West Coast. Im 21 Years old with a Mastermind, and a successful future.

What inspired you to make music? Was rapping your first attempt?
Everything Inspires me to Make Music, and everything from my past inspired me to make music. Mainly for myself and to get up out of the streets. Before Rap I was into Graffiti Art, thats when i studied Hip-Hop Music and all of Her Roots. And Realized this is what i wanted to do forever.

Who did you grow up listening to? Who are you listening to today?
I grew up listening to alot of different elements of music in tha 90's. From Punk Rock. to Reggae, To classic Rock, and Hip-Hop. I looked at music as a way of life, so i did a lot of listening. Today i' am listening to everything from The Beatles To Curren$y, from Jazz to Nas, from Bob Marley to Jay-Z, from Erykah Badu to Kanye West, etc. To much to Name um all, but theres alot in my books.

What producers are you working with?
I am working with alot of producers right now; Jansport J. Josh G, Spok Beats from Chamber Records, Kaleem "Sincere" Wasif, Salute Tha Gawd from 92Fam. Its been a Blessings to work with Producers like them, They all are way to ILL!!

Do you have a day job?
FUCK A DAY JOB!!!!!!!!!

You put Ms. Botwin on your CD cover, Weeds fans or was it more about the theme of the tape?
Yes my album cover is something unique. Shoutouts to PhillMatic for doing my cover art, and tha idea of havin her on my album cover. im not really a "Weeds" show fan, dont watch much T.V, so it was more about the theme of my Record! (metaphorically)

What is your preferred method to smoke? Favorite chronic strain?
I really dont have a preferred method to smoke, i mainly be rolling blunts all the damn time but, im a universal weed smoker, so anything is good. but my Favorite Chronic Strain, or i should say Kush Strain, would have to be AK-47 or some OG! or some Chronic shake, we in a recession so sometimes it may get expensive!! hahahah


What is the connection between you guys and blakface?
My Connection with "BlakFace" is family! No other words to explain that! They my mathafuken ride or die brothers! Word. They are my Executive Producers by the way on "The MaryJane Project" so its always something special when im with BlakFace. I wouldn't be the artist who I am today with out Funk Logik and Kaleem "Sincere" Wasif!

You familiar with any modern Hip Hop coming out of Seattle?
I'm not really up to date with the modern Hip Hop movement in Seattle right now. I'm definitely shure there some great artist coming out!!

What is in the works right now for Poetik Force?
Im working on a few things right now before the year comes to an end. I'm shooting a couple music videos from "The MaryJane Project" so definitely look our for that. I'm also working on a lil branch on the side of The Cov Originals called "THE ELEVATORS" which include, Myself, BlakFace and Sean Wyze. We are droppin a EP this December and will be droppin a LP early next year 2011!! Keep ya eyes and ears open for that. its going to be something EPIC!!

Any last words? Words of wisdom? Advice? Shout outs?
Last Call! Toast for a new beginning to Hip-Hop. Shoutouts to my whole Team on the Rize - BlakFace, SeanWyze, Hawdwerk, Jansport J, Keon Supreme, Avi The Most Ill, DKing! Knowledge is Self Determination, Follow Your Dreams and Never Give Up "One Team One Dream" ..... "PEACE ONE LOVE"

One Time @ Bandcamp With... 80's Babies

I found Sonic Music early this year via the 80's Babies Bandcamp site. Like so much of what I download I didn't know anything about it, but after it came on in the shuffle a few times I knew I needed to get into it a little deeper. After just one listen I was shocked that this was an album being pushed through their site and by no other means that I'd seen. This is the beauty of Bandcamp and why I've been doing these reviews and interviews. Sure Kanye West may have made the ultimate pop document discussing the current state America has found itself in, but there are a lot of people with things to say, struggles to work out and thoughts to share. Tall Black and Dee Jackson are two of em and Sonic Music deserves your ears.

First up can you introduce yourselves? Who are you, what do yall do, how long yall been at it?
We’re a Chicago bases hip hop group named “ 80’s Babies” consisting of 2 memebers. Dee Jackson is the emcee, and Tall Black Guy is the producer. The groups been together over 4 years now.

Is this your first musical endeavor?
No, we released our debut album 80’s Babies LP in 08. T.B.G is a member of Pathfinders and they have a project out, and Dee Jackson has solo efforts previously released.

Are you guys born and raised in Chicago? What part?
Dee Jackson is born and raised on the south side then moved to the burbs. TBG is actually from Detroit but grew up in Chicagoland.

When did you know you wanted to rhyme/make beats?
Dee Jackson has been rhyming since 97 and TBG has always been a hiphop head, but starting making beats around 2001-02.

Are yall 80s babies? Or is it more about being in line with a sound from a different era?
We are both 80’s Babies, but it’s more about the golden era of hiphop.



How did Rookie films get invovled with yall? Are there more videos in the works?
We are fans of each other. We always loved what they’ve been doing and they have always enjoyed our work. So it was only right, plus those are the homies anyway. Technology video coming soon by Rookie Films.

When did you officially release the album?
Sonic Music was released on May 18,2010

How has the response been locally?
Very positive, lots of love from the home town

How often are you guys playing shows?
We perform on a weekly basis now. For booking hit up 80sbabiesmusic@gmail.com

Who are some artists that inspire you?
Nas, Common, The Roots, J Dilla, DJ Premeire, The Roots, Pete Rock, Mos Def, Slaughterhouse, Blu, Tribe, Lupe, and the list goes on…….

Who do you view as peers within the Chicago hip hop community? Is the scene supportive of each other or are cats all doing their own things?
Chicago hiphop scene is very segregated, but there are some talented cats that we have mutual love and respect for, such as The Pathfinders, Thaione Davis, Primeridian, Kazi the Blak, Yng Sin, K Sera, Allegra Dolores, Kenny Keys, Rashid Hadee, 1773, Fam Squad, Jelify, GQ the Teacha, Radius, Coolout Chris, Amina, Midflex, and many more. Chicago is in good hands.

One Time @ Bandcamp With... Kendrick Lamar

On the first of October I was kicking back at the Batkave, listening to some tunes contemplating the Das Racist show going down that evening at the Comet. Out of no where I got a call from an unknown number. The conversation went something like this.

ME: "Hello"
Caller: "You wanna talk to Kendrick Lamar"
Me: "................... Yes"

Details were flushed out and what went from being a phone conversation became an in person interview prior to his show at Sodo opening for Tech N9ne. Random pairing, you are telling me.

If you didn't read the review of O(verly) D(edicated) at least get the tape cause this is one of the best albums of the year and deserves your ears.

Kendrick Lamar is an intelligent cat who was personable and very honest. He reps his home hard and I learned his CPT heritage has gotten him on the road in the past with The Game - even visiting our city before in 2008. Certainly not your average twenty three year old rapper. Read up.

Introduce yourself, who is Kendrick Lamar?
Kendrick Lamar is Compton, California. Kendrick Lamar the oldest of four. Both parents, from Chicago, came to Compton in ‘84 had me in ‘87. I like to say Compton a lot because that’s what I represent, I represent everything that it holds. You listen to my music it represents a kid that’s trying his best to duck the influences of the city. That represents everyone that’s living in the city. The influence can be police, peer pressure, gangs, drugs, whatever. That’s me.

You say on one song “Half of yall don’t even know Kendrick” - what should people know?
I think one of the misconceptions is that I’m this overall angel at heart. I tell my stuff from the inside looking around rather than the outside looking in. So when I talk about all these ills and these situations, I’m not knocking it or saying it’s bad because I go through the same shit that everybody else go through. I think that’s one of the biggest misconceptions right now, they put me around this whole conscious thing, but I’m just like every other person that’s living in the city. I’ve been through some shit, negative situations where it’s not cool to glorify the shit. I just gotta show people I’m more like them.

Where did you go to high school?
Centennial High, it was cool too.

When did you start rapping?
I started rapping in 8th grade, matter fact 7th grade I was 13. I got inspired by the DMX album because Pac had died, I felt like there was a void missing in hiphop, DMX came with that same type of motherfucking energy and I just got inspired and started writing. Then I went back and studied all the greats, Pac, Biggie, Nas, Big Daddy Kane, everything, just perfected my craft.

That was a lot of East coast names for a West coast head...
Yeah. I grew up on the West coast, I know it. Truthfully I didn’t like Biggie until after he died. I think everybody can say that but they just too scared to say that shit. I didn't give a fuck I was a downright Tupac fan, fuck everything, Bad Boy killa all that shit. Yeah that was me. I was nine years old, I didn’t give a fuck ignorance was a bliss to me. Shit I seen Tupac in person, in Compton, on Rosecrans. You couldn’t tell me shit. I didn’t give a fuck if Biggie new how to rap good. It was all about Tupac. That was just me being a child not knowing shit. After he died, then i started rapping, then I started realizing this is the shit I like to rap about, same shit Biggie, Jay-Z is kicking. Then I went back, got out of my naive ways, studied that shit. Shout out Biggie rest in peace, Pac all legends.

Your parents grew up in Chicago?
Yeah born and raised.

Did you hear a lot of music from Chicago growing up then?
A lot of oldies, just a lot of oldies. My parents, it’s like... The best way to describe my upbringing is, you ever seen Menace to Society?

Yeah.
Remember when Cain is a kid? They had parties every motherfucking Friday. Drunk, smoking, I got tons of motherfucking cousins and older uncles. There was always music in the house, everyday. They played rap, R&B, oldies, so I grew up on a variety of shit which basically is musical influence for me because that’s how I pick my music as far as instrumentals and beats, a lot soul samples, snare drums. It all comes from that.


Who are some of the producers on OD?
I got mostly in house. Soundwave, King Blue, TaeBeast, Willie B. I got a major producer on there named Wyldfire - he produced the Nas and Jay-Z “Black Republican” track. That’s about it right there.

When you say in house, what is that? Is it your company?
Top Dawg Entertainment. It’s the company I signed with at 16 or 17. The CEO is a dude, Top Dawg himself, I put out a local mixtape when I first jumped in the booth at 16 and I spread it locally. It caught the ear of him and he’s believed since and we moving on.

So OD came out for free, then was gone and only on iTunes. What’s the situation with it?
It’s still floating around there for free. I was batteling my company on putting it out for free from the jump. I felt like everybody wasn’t a believer in Kendrick Lamar yet. The Kendrick Lamar EP did great, better than what I thought it would do but i felt like I still need to put out this free music, I ain’t touched everybody yet. They was like nah. It’s a good thing my people believe in me, think I can actually sell. But I was like let’s put it out for free. So we came to a compromise, we put it out on iTunes, put it out for free for a few days and just let it float and see how many people pick it up and make their own links. At the end of the day it turned out a good thing, it still got out to the people that need to hear it, you can search for it if you really want it, and for the people that bought it, it’s letting me know people still buy music and are looking for it.

Who would you like to work with?
People ask me this all the time... It’s cliche to say like Jay-Z, Nas, Andre3000.

Are there some young cats coming up you are into?
I like a lot of neo soul stuff. India.Aire, Bilal, Floetry. That’s the people I want to work with. I think they so musically inclined that they will take me to that next level that I haven’t been. Even though they doing a whole other genre of music I feel they can open up another motherfucking part of my brain where it’ll make me rap better, or make me put together my music as a whole on another level.


What’s the deal with the Black Hippie project?
Ah the Black Hippies, you know what that whole project and that whole idea was just some shit we were sprinkling out and it just caught motherfucking fire as soon as we threw out a couple tracks. We are everywhere with it right now. We working on a mixtape, album shit. We got a whole lot of motherfucking music in the chamber. We can throw shit out anytime but we just want it to be right and get all the artist projects out and let everybody see each individual artist as their own entity so they will know where we come from. Then see it as a group, Ok here is how it all meshes together.

How did y’all come together?
You know we just fell out the motherfucking sky. Schoolboy Q is from LA, Rock from Watts, Ab-Soul from Carson, I’m from Compton, you know those are all local motherfucking cities. We all around the same age group, high schools ain’t but 10, 5 minutes from each other - LA is a small as a motherfucker man. Everybody know each other. So I fall through the Top Dawg studio one day and see Jay Rock, seen him come through Centennial with his gang, his hood or for a female. Ab-Soul, same with him, knew him through a mutual friend, we just all came together at the end of the day.

What’s next after the tour?
Oh yeah I got the album done. I’m just gonna push this motherfucking OD until the wheels fall off and then hit em across the head with the album shit.



What’s the story with the video you dropped today?
You caught that? That’s crazy, we were just talking about that. You heard the “Heaven & Hell” record? I wanted to go totally left field. The “Heaven & Hell” record is basically a description on heaven and hell, on how I think heaven look from an imaginary perspective and hell being the today world we live in today. So the guy cruising from the first point of view in the car is basically saying through all the red lights in life he never stops. That can be one perception. The second one could be everything that’s going on around him he’s still speeding through. That can be the hell perception. It could be all types of violence, type of shooting, extortion, he’s still getting through to do whatever he has to go do. And then at the end of the video he meets a significant other, somebody that he loves and supports him. The whole process of me making the “Hevean & Hell” record I want people to think, the ultimate high is god. But on a spiritual level sometimes people can’t meet them standards, pray and actually believe he is real. So you need somebody in actual life, in physical form to keep your serenity inside of you. So that’s where you see the lady at the end. The lady can be your brother, your sister, or your pops. You always need somebody at the end of the day to keep you sane in this motherfucking world. That’s actually a piece from 1975 and probably the world is just now seeing that shit, I felt it went right with the music.

You got any last words?
Oh shit go cop that Kendrick Lamar OD, that’s all it’s about right now. Just spreading the word about good motherfucking music. Got G Malone in here. He got this Drive By Music. It’s all motherfucking West coast shit, we just trying to bring it back to where it’s suppose to be, the respect we need.

---

Thanks to Alex for hitting me up while in town and making this happen!

One Time @ Bandcamp With... Leonard Dstroy

On Monday I dropped the review for a project by Leonard Dstroy called Higher Vibrations available for free at his bandcamp. I shot him a few questions and he had alot to say. Get familiar with this KC based beat stomper.

Who is Leonard Destroy? How old are you? Where are you from, is it still your home?
My real name is Kyle Dykes. I am 30 years old and I'm from the middle of the map, Kansas City, MO - born and raised.

When did you start making tunes? Were your first music making endeavors in the same vein as what you're on today?
I started DJing in 1994 when i was 14 years old. I didn't start producing til 1999. I actually started playing with a couple bands (Sevenfold Symphony and the Jesse Jackson 5), later on I formed the group Deep Thinkers with my partner Brother of Moses in 2001. We went on to release 4 full length albums and we are still very much active to this day. Since day one, I've always been interested in progressive hiphop and electronic music.

What were you hearing as a kid? What were you digging into as you grew up? Did your parents influence your music listening?
As a kid, I was exposed to a wide variety of music via my father who is an outstanding guitarist and singer. Growing up my dad had a very extensive vinyl collection and I was fortunate to cut my teeth on lots of Soul, Jazz, Rock, Reggae, Dancehall, Funk, Afrobeat, etc... As it turns out he gave me his entire collection as a wedding gift, so now its mine. When I got a bit older, around the time I started middle school, I started getting into hiphop and other things. The first record I ever bought was Coolio's Fantastic Voyage on vinyl haha. I was really into the early beat stuff , like the earlier Ninja Tune catalog. To this day, artists like Amon Tobin, Clifford Gilberto, and Coldcut are still huge inspirations to the work I do. I was also really into Venetian Snares, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher and stuff like that too!!!

Do you have a day job?
Yes, I still hold down a part-time job, but hopefully not for long.

Outside of music, how do you like to spend your time?
Outside of music I like to hang with my wife, friends and family... eat good food, play basketball, watch movies and enjoy the great outdoors. But honestly, I'm a hermit and I really do spend most of my free time in the lab creating.

What's your goal with your music? Are you looking for vocalists to get on your tracks?
My goal with music is to pay the bills doing something I love and also to use it as a opportunity to travel and meet new people. As far as vocalists are concerned, I am always down to work with people who inspire and push me to be better.

How are you as an artist dealing with the changing face of the music business?
I am just trying to go with the flow of things and adapt to the ever changing landscape of music today. I think it is important to embrace all the technology we have at our fingertips and use it to our advantage.

Favorite record label?
Right now I'm really feeling a few different labels.... proboably on my top ten list would be Alpha Pup, Error Broadcast, Elm and Oak, Warp, Brainfeeder, All City, TokyoDawn, Hyperdub, StonesThrow, AND Planet MU.

Are you a vinyl collector? Do you play out either DJin or doin a live production set?
I am a vinyl collector and when I play out I usually DJ, but I am actually making the transition to doing more live production sets in the future.

Are you happy with music today? What's in your ears?
I am very happy with the state of music today. It seems as if there is a renaissance happening right now with progressive beat/bass music in general. There is so much good music coming out every week that it is hard to keep up with sometimes. All over the world people are pushing the boundaries and it is a beautiful thing indeed!

What's next for Leonard Destroy?
Hopefully this year you will see quite a few things from me. I am currently in the process of signing with a label and you should see a full length album and a E.P. in 2011... more information to come on that real soon!!! (Ed. Note: Leonard Dstoy and Elm and Oak Records made the official announcement earlier this month, congrats man!)

Also doing a collaboration album with my right hand man HeRobust that is gonna be absolutely insane, that should see the light of day in the near future. It is gonna melt faces for sure!

Also gonna be releasing a few remixes on a few different labels, and a project with Reggie B that has been in the works for awhile now. Also working with a few very talented Kansas City emcees, and I am planning on getting back in the lab with Brother of Moses sometime this year to start working on the next Deep Thinkers album as well.

You hearing anything coming out of the Northwest?
Yeah Ive heard of a few things coming from the Northwest, but I am still kinda in the dark. I am a big fan of the homie Devonwho's stuff and I really think the Frite Nite guys kick major ass. I would love to get up there sometime this year and check it out. I hear nothing but good things.

Last words? Advice? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
Be excellent to each other and party on dudes!!!

One Time @ Bandcamp With... TassNata

This week for my bandcamp adventure I went to the North for an emcee out of Canada who goes by TassNata, he makes heartfelt rap that is fully inspired by the mid nineties classics far to few are growing up on these days. If you didn't catch the review or give the album, Between Planets, a listen do that while reading.



Introduce yourself? Where are you from? How old are you? What do you do? How long you been at it?
Yo! I go by the name TassNata, or my goverment is Justin Nerling either is cool haha. TassNata is a play off of latin "Veritas Dignitas" which is truth and dignity, two values i hold very important. Also truth > Justice > Justin > and I'm a libra so my sign is the scales! I recently turned 24, from Vernon BC, spent some years in Victoria as well. I currently work in Kelowna as a mental health worker with autism, and for the schoolboard here as well. Oh yeah, I rap too I guess haha... I been busy writing since at least elementary when I heard Big L, but never recorded until someone showed my how to do it myself when i was 16.

What was your introduction to rap?
I'd say Tupac in Grade 4. My friends older brother bumped it alll the time when I'd be at their house, so I was a big fan until I heard East coast shit, I was obsessed with Biggie, Big L, Jay-Z, and Wu-Tang. I just liked the style more, and how it felt generally.

Does Canada have it's own hiphop history that ran parallel to the growth of the culture in the states?
Of course! Obviously not as internationally dominant as American hiphop became but I mean we had dudes doing it big still! Maestro waddup! The first emcees in Canada I became BIG fans of would have been the Rascalz and Kardinal. But I mean Michie Mee killed it and so many since the 90's.

What is the feeling of the hiphop scene around you? Is it vibrant?
It's cool, where I live there ain't a lot of rappers or artists but MAN, EVERYONE around here is a fan of hiphop. So I appreciate that, and all the support I get at shows. My friend SonReal is from here as well but lives in Van now. Also everyone around here has branched into different things so its great in the sense I'm surrounded by career driven people all the time, they keep me inspired!


You have some Detroit connections on your record, how did those relationships develop? Were you in the lab with them?
Yeah, Detroit is one scene in particular that has me really excited about hiphop in a time when I will admit I was losing faith in the genre. Slum Villa and JDilla were always a major influence to me, before I started rapping. Black Milk came out and dude was incredible, Danny Brown, Apollo Brown, so many people coming out of that side its crazy. We connected through a homie of mine, sup B! who is a promoter and was reaching out to Milk and El for some shows, it just went from there really... dudes were easy to work with and we came out with some crazy tracks! Unfortunately we were not in the lab together but in the near future I'll be heading to Detroit to link and hopefully come out with some new music. We are also starting to lay the groundwork on some videos for the songs as well.

I read through the credits on "Between Planets"... Who are the beatmakers you are working with here?
SOME CRAZY TALENTED INDIVIDUALS!
Big Pops(Northern Profit - Drake, UGK, Dr.Dre,Styles P,Alchemist)
Tone Mason(Grammy Nominees with Fantasia, Jay - Z, Drake, Sean P, AZ)
DJ Crown from France
Neenah from Amsterdam
my homie Lew Ashby
Ominous
Neo Tempus, him and myself are working on an EP right now actually.


Who do you want to work with musically?
TOUGH question, so many people man, I'm such a fan of all music but I'll give a top 10? No specific order. Jay-Z! Ghostface, Lupe, Alicia Keys, Jake One, Premier, Santogold, The Roots, Bilal & Andre 3000.

Are you listening to anything from the Seattle hiphop community?
Blue Scholars, J. Pinder and Jake.... wanna work with ALL 3 as well.

What's in your ears right now?
To be honest for some reason I hardly listen to hiphop in the Fall. I don't know why but I think I blast so much in the summer, I like to switch it up for a bit and come back fresh when all the biggest records come out later in the year. There is a FEW hiphop records im bumpin still though, so I'm listening to The Black Keys, Nina Simone, Big Boi's new album, an old Coheed and Cambria record (Second Stage Turbine Blade), Album of the Year - Black Milk, and Apollo Brown & Boog Brown - Brown Study.

How long was "Between Planets" in the making? Is it your first release?
3 years man. I took a hiatus when my first daughter was born in 2008. I probably did 100 tracks in the process at least and the majority of the songs on there were all made in 2010. Lullabye, Intro, Why, are all three years old.. and the hidden track caled The Everwonder.

What is next?
8 track untitled EP with my homie Neo Tempus (he produced Stars Fade and Between Planets on my album) The EP is going to have some HEAVY tracks, with a more electronic - melodic vibe, something I think will be different than alot of shit out right now.

Last words? Advice? Rants? Words of wisdom?
Thanks for the love! I hope to visit Seattle soon!!

---

Thanks to Tass for taking the time to answer my questions, next week it's a beat head from Kansas, Leonard Dstroy. Till next, thanks for rockin.

One Time @ Bandcamp With... Crispus McFly

Alright, by now y'all should know the deal. On Monday I wrote about Crispus McFly's EP The Wake Up! and now it's time for the conversation with the man. If you still haven't given him a listen, check out this new track he gave us for the interview, it's called "Flavius Valerius."



First up who are you? Where do you live? How old are you? How long have you been making tunes? What are you working with?
I go by Crispus McFly. I'm a 26 y.o. beatmaker in Boston, and I've been makin beats for about 3 years.

Samples sound present in your music, are you a digger/vinyl collector?
Yeah, I dig records.

What music did you grow up on? Who are you listening to today?
I grew up listening to a lot of Moments, Little Sister, Breakwater, mainly Funk, R&B and Jazz with some Gang Starr. I still listen to it and Dilla, Jeru the Damaja, etc.

Do you have a musical background? Play instruments?
I used to play the drums, but stopped after my first year.

What's your day job?
I work in a record shop, buying and selling records.

What kind of downloads are you seeing off the bandcamp? Are you doing this for fun or is it something you are trying to make a career out of?
I make beats for fun, but if it leads to profit, I'm down for that too.

Are you interested in getting vocalists on your tracks? If so, singers rappers? both?
I'd be nice to work with some artists, but I'm good right now on my own.

Do you DJ or perform you tunes out in some capacity?
Naw, I haven't really done any of that yet.

How did you find Choclate Chuck's Goodnight EP? What made you want to reinterpret it? Has he heard your take?
I found Chuck on myspace. We talked through some emails and he liked my beats. So, we did remixes of eachother's EPs. It was good times.

What are you working on today?
Just beats and my job.

Favorite pizza?
Pepperoni

Favorite drink?
Beer.

Favorite book?
Reason: The Manual

One Time @ Bandcamp With... Freddie Joachim

It's time again to meet another Bandcamp artist. On Monday I reviewed a few of his projects, peep them here. A couple weeks ago we talked via email and now I'm presenting this to you. The guy known as Freddie Joachim represents the real So Cal, San Diego. He makes awesome instrumentals that evoke much feeling and are more often than not the perfect mood music. Scroll through his discography, grab a couple jams and peruse this conversation.

Members Only: Introduce yourself, who you are, what you do, how long you've been at it and where you do it all from?
Freddie Joachim: Hey, my name is Freddie Joachim. I'm a producer/DJ from San Diego, CA. I've been involved with music for over a decade now.

MO: When did you know you wanted to make beats?
I believe it was sometime right after high school. I got into more of the technical aspects of music, which eventually led to me producing music.

MO: Was Hip Hop what inspired you to produce?
Ultimately, yes. But other genres inspired me to experiment with other types of production.

MO: Have you collaborated with any emcees? Who would you like to work with?
Yeah, I've been working with people for a while. It wasn't until recently, that I've been releasing strictly instrumentals, but I still continue to work with artists. I'm down to work with anyone on the same page as me creatively. It'd be nice to work with artists that have truly inspired me throughout the years and that I have respected a great deal growing up - De La Soul, Common, Mos Def, Kweli, etc.

MO: Who do you find yourself listening to on a daily basis?
Recently, just a bunch of hip hop and soul... more specifically: Hudson Mohawke, Exile, Blu, Afta-1, Flako, Kweli, Eric Roberson, FlyLo, Free The Robots, Clara Hill, Andy Allo, Jose James, Eric Lau, and much more.

MO: Are you a big digger for vinyl? What's your stance on sampling vs. non sampled beats?
I'm not a huge vinyl collector. I purchase what I enjoy listening to. As far as beats, I make both, so I enjoy both. I feel sampling has a feel and vibe that's difficult to express or duplicate through not sampling. I respect the art of musicianship, so I really enjoy it when a producer can play everything on a beat.

MO: Is AM suppose to be a collection of tracks that just fit the morning vibe? Did the music inspire the name or did you aim to make tracks designed for the morn?
AM is just a collection of beats I had laying around. A couple I made specifically for the EP. Usually when I put out free little albums, they'll have a central vibe or feel. AM was mainly to express the morning.

MO: What are you working with to make your beats?
I do most of my music on the computer, using Ableton Live and Reason, also a handful of 3rd party plugins and instruments. I also like utilizing live instruments and percussion, and records when I'm sampling.

MO: Did you go to college?
Yeah, after high school I took a few recording courses at a local community college in SD. Then I went to a trade school for engineering in LA.


MO: How do you see the internet changing the face of music making and music business?
The internet has made it easy for artists to connect with one another, and for fans and music lovers to listen and keep up with their favorite artists. But the internet has also made it easy for people to download and bootleg music for free, which hurts artists, record stores, and labels. Independent ones especially. I encourage people to purchase music.

MO: What your favorite book?
I really don't know. I'm mainly into non-fiction, books with facts. Occasionally I'll read sci-fi stories, about the future, space, and time travel. I really enjoy art and photography books as well.

MO: Favorite album?
That's a little hard but the following albums have always been in rotation:
Reflection Eternal Train of Thought, A Tribe Called Quest Midnight Marauders, Pete Rock Petestrumentals and Jay Dee Vintage.

MO: We're in Seattle, have you heard any recent Hip Hop from the town?
Unfortunately I'm not too familiar with the hip hop scene in Seattle. I know of Jake One and Blue Scholars.

One Time @ Bandcamp With... The Paxtons

If you are unfamiliar with The Paxtons, peep the review I ran Monday, download the project and then give this here conversation we had via email your attention. Hailing from NYC by way of Chicago and DC this energetic duo rock many sets with a live band backing them, make beats and stay spitting them ill written.

MO: Can yall introduce yourselves, who you are what you do and how long you've been at it?
Chris & Dave, we rap and produce as The Paxtons. We’ve been working at our crafts for about ten years.

MO: Is the Paxtons your first musical endeavor?
No, we didn’t actually start creating music as The Paxtons until 2008, but those older records are under lock & key

MO: Born and raised in Chicago? If so what part? If not where?
Yes, we are both born and raised in Chicago, specifically the South Shore (amongst the likes of Naledge from KITH, Rhymefest & Kanye West).

MO: What inspired the move from Chicago to NYC? What part of NYC are y'all staying in?
The Paxtons movement actually began when we were living in DC prior to the New York move. We came out to the east coast for work after college in 2006 and started down this path shortly after. We currently live in East Harlem (Manhattan).

MO: Did you guys make the original beats on The Manhattan Project?
We produced "Bang Wit Us," "Living a Movie," "Interlude," "Money Right," "Curtains" and co-produced "What We Doin" with Brenmar.

MO: For a long time there has been much talk about NY falling off, not being what it once was. In the last few years NY and many other locals have popped up on the map thanks to the internet - what's the feel like of rap in the town that birthed it?
Simply put, J. Cole has the city on fire. After that, it’s everything coming out of the DD172/Creative Control camp.

MO: Who are you guys working with? Who would you like to be working with?
TeLuv out of LA, our band Sela & Oscar Wao out of Philly, XO from Diamond District out of DC, Vandalyzm & Rockwell Knuckles from The Force collective out of St. Louis, Sulaiman, Skech185 & Tomorrow Kings out of Chicago to name a few. As indie acts go we’d love to link with Dom Kennedy or Fly Union.



MO: How often are you going back to Chicago?
We’re headed to Chicago a few times in the next few months.

MO: Is music your job right now? Y'all have day jobs?
Outside of music, we operate a media consulting firm called Gold Standard Creative. All of our art, video, and online content is in-house. Need a website?

MO: With the internet providing instant and worldwide distribution what are you guys looking for, if anything, from a label?
Primarily we are looking for physical distribution.

MO: Is the name Rec Center familiar to Chicago natives?
Not to us!

MO: Have y'all heard any modern Hip Hop from Seattle?
Blue Scholars got some heat right now.

MO: What are you guys listening to?
We listen to everything old and new. To name a few: Steely Dan, Gil Scott Heron, Janelle Monae, Christian Rich, Big Boi, The Roots, Dom Kennedy, Eminem, NERD & Rick Ross

MO: Recording new material? Tour plans?
We’re a couple of songs into the follow up to TMP which will hopefully hit the net before the year is out. Looking to hit the road October through the remainder of 2010, even Seattle if you’ll have us!

MO: How do you approach the creation of an official album vs. the creation of a "mixtape"?
As producers, we honestly start with our own beats and let those dictate the musical direction of the project. In the case of TMP, we started out with Living a Movie and Bang Wit Us but when the Beamin instrumental dropped, it literally made the project do a 180. Once those verses were laid, it opened the door for tracks like Super Stupid and Champion. Tentatively speaking, the next project will feature all original production though.

The Paxtons "The Manhattan Project"

If you are unfamiliar with Bandcamp I suggest you investigate. Having spent the better part of this year finding album after album for free on the site, it’s been a beneficial find to say the least. Most of the artists you discover there are unsigned, young and experimenting with new marketing ideas for an industry in disarray. Today a new feature is being launched here at the MO HQ - One Time At Bandcamp... will see an album found on the site reviewed on Monday and an interview with the artist will run on Friday.

Allow me to introduce the Paxtons, the duo of Chris & Dave. They rap and produce, hail from the city of wind and call NY home today. After delivering an entirely self produced album inspired by the film Clerks titled Work they took some time off, moved and are now back with The Manhattan Project - I never heard the first tape but from the description on their site I think it might be more up my alley.

TMP is lively. Almost all the beats will get you moving. Half of it’s self produced and the other half comes from an array of sources. They select the stellar Dam Funk beat “Hood Pass” to rock over trading bars for the duration of the song demonstrating their excellent chemistry, both possessing glorious flows that they utilize to talk about traveling the country, smoking good trees, and having a good time with life.

Their ability to rock beats is the most captivating aspect to their music. Coming in on the opening cut “Ceasar” rocking loud and raw, you feel an energy and passion behind what they are doing. “Ballin” is a bouncing beat with off kilter drums and siren like sounds keeping your mind moving. But instead of wasting their breath talking like every other emcee on a track with the name such as this they kick some thought provoking content that might make you question where and why you are spending your cash.

The Paxtons try alot here. Their aim was large and in some ways they really did create an album that suits the name. The one sheet for this record claims they were aiming for the duel meaning connecting to both their move and the WWII experiments of the same name attempting to build the first atomic bomb, implying they are here to blow up the game I suppose. This record is certainly bombastic.

Content and their interplay puts them above a lot of those competing for the same things in this new music biz. When I started listening to this record I kept feeling as though it lacked something, as I played it through time and time again I picked up new tidbits on every track. A bar here, an sample flip there, the dynamic of them coming in off each other and carrying the baton like champions do. The music here isn’t your cookie cutter, mass manufactured tunes - this is music made with a mission to elevate.