After announcing that he was in home hospice care on his website on May 1st, blues legend Riley "BB" King passed away peacefully on May 14th, 2015. He will – and should – be remembered for not only is godlike command of a guitar, but also his tireless work effort. To say that he had truly given his life to his craft would be an extreme understatement. In fact, up until last October, he was still actively touring. He graced loving fans with almost 300+ shows a year, which is a tall order, even for seasoned industry players. BB King was a legend, a visionary and – above all – a true artist. He will be greatly missed.
RIP
Welcome to the jump off of Above Average Hip-Hop – now available in a magazine format. You may have some questions, and I have some answers. First, why are we branching out from our growing website? Well, because of the feedback we’ve received, and the general acceptance from the community at large. The content is just getting too good, and it felt like it needed to be immortalized in a more artistic and permanent way. Secondly, how will this work? Well, here’s an easy answer: I have no idea. I’ve never made a magazine. I am, however, a writer and a real head who loves to nerd out with my icons and do my part to break new talent. The truth is, I’ve always wanted to make my own magazine, and as a child, I never imagined I’d have the ability (literally – technology is bonkers), or the content at my disposal. So maybe, even though I’m in my early 30’s, this magazine is some sort of bucket list checkmark. When I became a member of the Universal Zulu Nation, I did so with the hopes that I’d be able to somehow help spread the culture I love, and help to further document not just the overlooked history, but the new chapters being (physically) written by the next generation. This magazine is a physical companion piece to aahiphop.com, and I urge you to explore the pieces there as well, as they will often include mixes, videos and other multimedia components that will add further context. I envision this remaining relatively digital, but perhaps becoming available in limited physical edition. So let’s see where this takes us. Thanks for all the support and love! Peace!
Riley Wallace, Writer/Founder
Appetizers Crowd Sourcing Platforms = Independent Music 2.0 Yesterday I received an email from De La Soul [I'm on their mailing list] informing me that they would be releasing their first album in a decade. It's currently available for preorder on Kickstarter in digital, and physical format. Tiered levels of support come with perks, such as De La Soul USB keys, shoes and limited edition shirts. Needless to say, I'm excited to get my copy of the album in the mail, and review here for all of you. It seems like many artists are finding themselves on platforms like Kickstarter (and indigogo) these days. Some notable projects have included. Domingo's Big Pun EP, and Ras Kass's A.D.I.D.A.S project. Let's face it, independent music sales isn't easy, and the production of an album is (generally) far from free. Kickstarter campaigns really make an artist vulnerable, but can also help them gauge the loyalty of their fanbase, and actual demand for their music. Allowing fans to be a part of your process and know that their money is positively b e n e fi t t i n g t h e a c t u a l production of your music is a valuable connection to make. It's this type of platform that has record labels scrambling. Kickstarter (and others) have unwittingly created a platform
for musicians to sell music and keep 100% of the take, minus any personal overhead and nominal handling fee of course. My thought is that we may see that change in the future. Perhaps a Kickstarter for musicians, that finds a way to generate more revenue for the company. But for the time being, it's an amazing outlet for acts like De La Soul, and up and coming acts such as Lil'Dicky to positively exploit growing fan bases, and loyal followers in a way that simply posting music for sale on services like Bandcamp can't replicate. Maybe instead of artist trying to change the face of music history with streaming music services, they should more intimately and authentically connect with their fans and produce a crowd sourced project. Just saying. This is the wave! Madvillainy: 11 Years Later It's all entertainment. When it comes to the rap game, you often need to take the character most artists portray both on stage – and on wax – with a grain of salt. Whether most of them reveal it or not, they wear a "mask" (so to speak). Without argument no artist plays a character better MF DOOM. While donning his trademark tin mask, he tackles beats with no regard for your thought process. He never breaks character, even in the streets. Why? DOOM himself describes it as freeing, by forcing listeners to focus on the music itself. He tested this theory by using fake DOOMs for a string of shows as few years back. Results
were mixed, by which I mean terrible. Irregardless this year marks an anniversary for the metal faced villain. It's been exactly 11 years since the release of Madvillainy, the collaboration album between the always interesting MF Doom DOOM and brilliant producer Madlib. The album still, and always will stand as a testament to alternative hip-hop at it's rawest. The album, stitched together as a collection of seemingly random gems, was non-commercial, creative and packaged with one of the most haunting covers I've ever come across. The album, in hindsight, did a few things really well. Firstly, It took DOOM to another level. His previous project Mm Food was dope, and had DOOM's trademark sound, but this project seemed more polished. As seemingly random as it was, it was all orchestrated. DOOM showed many faces – he was a pimp, a pothead, a disgruntled boyfriend, a hustler and a troubled soul. He created a body of work that definitely requires multiple listens. Secondly, it really solidified Madlib as the shit. Not to say he wasn't dope before this – his work has been fire since Lootpack. But Madvillainy was a whole new plane as far as I'm concerned. From Accordion and Money Folder to All Caps and Rhinestone Cowboy, his sound was eerie, inspiring and beautiful.
DOOM never really topped this album in my mind, and it's an album I'll probably listen to and love it years from now. It stands as a milestone in the Stones Throw catalogue. What it lacked in structure, coherence and adherence to commercial standards it more than made up for with creativity, production and sheer dopeness.
from unsigned acts. Bobbito saw the opportunity to provide an outlet and the rest was history. What started as kind of a joke, ended up a vastly curated catalogue of rare, and highly collectable, hip-hop artifacts that capture the sounds, sights and overall state of mind of the 90's underground scene in the big apple.
Remember, all caps when you spell the man's name!
Some of the more notable records (from my perspective) that dropped on the label were: MF DOOM's classic debut Operation Doomsday, The Juggaknots' Clear Blue Skies EP, Siah and Yeshua Dapo's The Visualz EP and Kool Keith & Godfather Don's Cenobites LP. The label also dropped LOTS of crazy 12" joints, like the Cage's Agent Orange. Another dope bonus: Bobbito himself dropped random bars all over the catalogue.
Fondle Em': A Legacy of Dopeness On Halloween-eve 2001, Farewell Fondle 'Em dropped and signalled the end of an era. Fondle 'Em, owned and operated by Bobbito Garcia (of Stretch Armstrong Show fame), dropped a series of vinyl only gems between 1995 and 2001. A lot of artists and labels claim to be underground hip-hop [air quotation], but this was the real deal. Some of the rawest hiphop ever pressed. Alongside a few other labels, like Rawkus, it helped to sketch out the blueprint of how the sub genre should look and sound. Stretch and Bobbito fans will understand the organic nature of the labels origins. The show – noted for breaking many legendary acts – was receiving demos from everyone and their mother. Whether or not they considered themselves as such at the time, they were curators who helped shape the golden era New York scene; however, a large portion of the dopeness they got their hands on came
The label never dropped anything that wasn't dope. Literally, nothing but straight goods. In fact, many of the artists who started on the label branched out to other indies (like Def Jux for example) and enjoyed careers after Bobbito closed the label's doors. If you fancy yourself a hip-hop head – especially if you're new to Fondle 'Em – I urge you to explore the label's catalogue. Be sure to check for the Stretch & Bobbito Radio That Changed Lives documentary dropping this August, which will undoubtedly explore the label in more detail.
We Changed: Why You're Responsible for Iggy And Macklemore latest Craig G effort. You catch my drift? Hip-Hop changed, but so did it's core of paying customers.
It's no secret that I'm a real hip-hop head. I was born in the early 80's, and I grew up in the 90's surrounded by what I consider to be the best of hip-hop as a genre – and I feel that it (for the most part) still is. With that in mind, I'll now proceed to finally weigh in on the whole Iggy vs the world conversation. Is she a deep thinker who makes the thoughtful, well-written brand of hip-hop I love? No. For that reason, I don't consume it. So much so, that it's almost unfair for me to analyze it. What we can say with certainty though, is that her fans buy it. They shower her with undying adoration, buy tickets to her shows and (violently) defend her honour 140 characters at a time. When is the last time you did any of that for your favourite artists? Instead of tweeting about how much you hate her [Iggy Azalea], perhaps you can tweet about the latest record by Skyzoo or D'Angelo? Music is a business, which means it's a for profit outfit that enjoys generating return on investment. There was a time when artists we worship and consider architects were in expensive studios recording big budget projects, because that's what we wanted. That's right – we were actually going to stores and buying their shit, packing up their shows, etc. That all stopped though; albeit it was kind of gradual. Nowadays people love to scream about how hip-hop isn't real – but didn't purchase Sadat X's past release, or rush out to support that
My hypothesis is that we grew up – let's face it, nobody young is that upset about any of this. It's us real heads who watched hip-hop grow from nothing into a feared outcry from black America. We watched as the highest powers tried – and failed miserably – to silence hip-hop. We're the ones who are mad that the thing we loved is being perverted into this corporate behemoth that appears to be shutting us out. That isn't hip-hop though. There I said it. All that shit we're protesting is about as hip-hop as Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, PM Dawn, etc. Wack hip-hop irregardless of race, has long sold millions and been awarded Grammys and AMAs. Hip-Hop is a culture, and it still thrives (in its purest form) today – but it needs our help. Are you mad that corporate America (i.e a group of old white people with suits) is allowing (for the most part) talentless rich kids take over the thing you love? Why not support the hundreds of real artists out there? Why don't we all band together and support all the artists who are preserving the culture? Why don't we stop just sitting around and actually make a change? Hip-hop was born an underdog, so going against the machine really shouldn't be something that scares us. In an attempt to round back, I'll say that Iggy Azalea is a cog in the machine. None of this is her fault. She is making music, and people are buying it – it's supply and demand and it's the way business works. TI is no worse than Akon, who brought us Lady Gaga and Usher, who brought us Bieber. Instead of tweeting about how much you hate her, perhaps you can tweet about the latest record by Skyzoo or D'Angelo? Just saying.
A Future Without A Past: The Beginnings Of Busta As one third of the group Leaders Of The New School, alongside Dinco D and Charlie Brown, Busta literally had a career before his career. They'd dropped a single prior to, but really came to notoriety after the release of the song Scenario with Tribe Called Quest, off the legendary Low End Theory album. After the cameo success, the group went on to release their now ironically, and in hindsight aptly titled debut, Future Without A Past. The album spawned a few hits, including Case Of The PTA and Sobb Story. It's always interesting to me that when it comes to comic book characters, illustrated stories of their origins are treasured and adorned with monetary value, yet the recorded/documented origins of our own cultural characters often gets the "blahzay" treatment. We're going to work on that. Many of our younger readers may not be familiar with the backstory of the man they call Busta Rhymes. He's been in the game for, well, as long as I can remember. Before he was co-signing [hotgarbage] professions of love for cocaine, he was – and still is – a beast on the mic. Back before he cut off his dreads, before he made you clap and pass the courvoisier, even before he counted down to Y2K and proclaimed he had you "all in check", Busta was on – and popping.
However, the group broke up shortly after their second album T.I.M.E, and acronym for The Inner Mind's Eye. The conflict was pretty commonplace, when looking back at it. Charlie Brown thought of himself as the leader of the group, and there was tension surrounding the spotlight that Busta was clearly commanding. Basically the Destiny's Child effect. The group's infamous straw that broke the camels back was captured by YO MTV Raps! cameras. Needless to say, Busta Rhymes prospered post break-up. The trio reunited briefly on the song Keep It Movin on Busta's solo debut The Coming, but were never heard together on wax again.
Interview with Dave aka Trugoy of De La Soul
FEATURE
"The way we connect and begin to create – it’s an awesome feeling and I think that’s why we’re still here."
— Trugoy
Earlier this month, I received an email from De La Soul [I’m on their mailing list] informing me that they would be putting out their first album in a decade. It’s currently available for preorder on Kickstarter in digital, and physical format – there’s also vinyl for all of the real heads out there. Tiered levels of support come with perks that range in price/sophistication from De La Soul USB keys, shoes and limited edition shirts to toy shopping with Dove, and savouring a dinner with the group. Needless
to say, I’m excited to receive my copy of the album in the mail, and review it here for all of you; although, I wish I could’ve afforded the dinner perk. Last week I was lucky enough to chat with David Jude Jolicoeur, also known as Trugoy the Dove, about the project itself, the timeline, the process and how he feels about giving up his 3 Feet High platinum plaque.
ago a friend of ours mentioned it to us. He was like: "You guys should check it out, it's a cool place to get funding – the fans who are in love with you guys will definitely back you". Over the last little while there have been some large projects/people on the platform, like Spike Lee and most recently TLC. It just became one of those things that came up over and over again – and then we did some investigation, and decided this was something we wanted to go for. We didn't have any preconceived ideas of how it would perform. Were you surprised by the responses that you got pretty quickly?
What made this the right time to return with a new album? Things just fell into place. We've never looked at our calendar or looked at our track-record and stated "We need to put out a record or we're slipping in the public eye". We've never put out any records that way. When "we feel a vibe", we go to it. It's as simple as that. What originally prompted you guys to go completely independent? When we were released from our contract back in 2005, it was the most liberating thing ever – not being tied to any corporation, company or label just felt good. I think from that point on, we decided never to partner up with some other entity like we'd done in the past. Over the years, we've been offered the chance to sit down and talk about deals (label, distribution & production); however, nothing was ever really felt right, in all honestly. It isn’t to say that we wouldn't take anything in the near future, but for now we're comfortable. What made you chose KickStarter to do this project? It was something that was floating around in conversation for a long time. Maybe three years
Yes! That was overwhelming, we definitely did not anticipate it happening that fast – it was nice to see that, and it felt good! It gives you confirmation that the people have faith in what you're doing. The appreciation was an amazing motivation to get this project going. It was a good thing. How far along are you in the process? We're at the stage of recording music and completing some songs. We're still digging into the hundreds of hours of source music we have – but at this point we have like six/seven songs performed. It's midway and hopefully we'll be able to finish a lot of the recording in the next three weeks, with possible tweaking in the next month and a half. You mention the artists you've collaborated with (or going to) on your KickStarter page. Are there any others you’re willing to share with us I wish I could. There were a lot of songs that called for a particular voice or artist, so we'd kick around ideas like: "We'd love to have Willie Nelson on this one or Raekwon of Wu Tang on that one". There are a couple of those – we just don't want to spoil it until we receive a complete confirmation. We don't want to talk ahead of ourselves; but I will say it's a diverse cast. I mean we already have David Byrne of Talking Heads for example, who blessed us. Also, 2 Chains. He came on board and did some amazing work. I think we’re going to recruit some more people we respect to come on board and do some great collaborations with us. But to speak of
Did you guys come up with the rewards together? Yeah, we did. We have an amazing team working a alongside us. We all sat down and thought about these rewards. They’re really cool because we tried to make them accessible to the everyday person, as well as add some cool premium stuff that we thought people would love to have if they could afford it. We sat down and tried to think of things we could offer fans who just want to get something and be a part of the process, without having to think about getting banged over the head for hundreds of dollars. We tried to get creative – some of them are a little out of our comfort zone, but I think it's cool stuff that people would like to do. I enjoy toy shopping and I would love to spend the day going out toy shopping. If somebody equally enjoys it, I'm up for it [laughs]. We do as much as we can to get everybody involved and not feel like it's out of their reach. I think toy shopping was one of the rewards that actually went quickly. The one that was the craziest though, is you give your actual platinum plaque... Oh yeah! Were you surprised that one got snapped up?
I was surprised, but I mean, I knew that a fan would want it obviously. Due to the fact that it's dear to me, our team thought that it [$10,000] was a great price point. Did I think anyone was going to be able to afford it or would want it? No, but it’s a blessing that somebody wanted it that bad… I'm honored to have a fan that dedicated. Lastly, its been 26 years since 3 Feet High – so what keeps you guys motivated? What's your driving factor? The idea of creating new music, that's the bottom line. We take breaks because we just don’t feel like doing anything, not because we break up or anything like that. It's not like we continue this hiphop thing for the sole purpose of making money; although, we earn a living, and are actively supporting our families with this music. It's just a good feeling sitting in the studio with Vincent and Kelvin – this is why I started this. They're honestly my best friends and we connect like no other. I couldn't replace them and without these two I could not get [metaphorically] high. That’s what gets us going, whether it's sitting down and designing sneakers together, toys, or possibly in the near future writing a book and directing a movie… it's just the idea of the three of us coming together and the way we connect and begin to create – it's an awesome feeling and I think that's
FASHION
The Return Of Troop Sport
Hip-hop and fashion have been intertwined since the genre's inception. From it's "costumey" beginnings, to its adoption of Adidas and gold chains – a style we still pull from today – it's always been important to look the part. In the golden age of hip-hop, no brand stood more iconic than Troop Sport. It was the go-to brand, and counted the likes of LL Cool J and Rakim among its brand champions. Unfortunately, amidst unfounded – and untrue – rumours that it was owned by the Ku Klux Klan (amongst other things), the
company went bankrupt. There have been a few attempts at reviving the brand, most notably by rapper Nelly in 2006 when he briefly reintroduced it into the market. Enter David Goldberg. He recently acquired the brand and, 30 years after it's original release, is bringing it back from the dead and onto the backs and feet of collectors and urban aficionados worldwide. I recently spoke to David about the brand's resurgence.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Troop collectors from overseas.
My name is Dave, I grew up in NYC in the late 80s/early 90s and Troop was one of my favourite brands. I have vivid memories of LL Cool J endorsing and wearing the brand, as well as my favourite artists of that time. It was definitely marketed as a hiphop brand and was the first brand to do so. The shoes weren't marketed as athletic shoes, they were just meant more for fashion and I think that was part of the reason it took off.
Why have you decided to bring the brand back?
Can you talk about the legacy that Troop has in the landscape of hip-hop?
We'll be debuting the footwear, starting with the Pro Edition Mid and Ice Lamb Low, in mid to late April in stores across the USA such as Villa, Jimmy Jazz, Dr.Jays and others – as well as online at worldoftroop.com. We had a limited retro leather jacket for sale at a few stores in NYC and Philadelphia the past winter and it sold very well. In the future we will be expanding the apparel line as well.
Troop was an important part of the golden era of the genre, as it exemplified the power hip-hop had to really inspire an entire brand. Since Troop, hip hop clothing brands grew into a multi-billion dollar industry – but it all started out as Troop. Who were some of the brand's biggest advocates? LL started wearing the brand on his own, and when he became one of the biggest artists, Troop signed him to a deal for his own line of clothing and shoes. Today his old original signature products go for big money on eBay. Many other artists in that time period wore the brand as well, like Stetsasonic and Marley Marl from the Juice Crew. In 2006, Nelly obtained the license for Troop apparel and brought it back to the market for a short period. Can you describe the circumstances that led Troop Sport going bankrupt? I was only about 9 or 10 when the brand died down, but from what I heard there were a lot of bad business decisions combined with unfounded rumours, and changing tastes of the consumer that lead to the brand dying out by the early 90s in America; however, Troop lasted longer in Europe than here surprisingly, and had a strong run into the mid 90s. Today there are still a large number of
I decided to bring the brand back because I felt it would fit in well in the current marketplace given the current 80s/90s retro popularity for both shoes and fashion. It's important that the product and brand stay true to the originals. What products can we look forward to?
I was only about 9 or 10 when the brand died down, but from what I heard there were alot of bad business decisions combined with unfounded rumours, and changing tastes of the consumer that lead to the brand dying out by the early 90s in America; however, Troop lasted longer in Europe than here surprisingly, and had a strong run into
TECHNOLOGY
Interview with Audiomack CMO David Ponte Nowadays artists have a sea of options to share their music, including services like Bandcamp and the ever-popular behest that is Soundcloud. Users can upload their songs to a profile, and freely share it across all of their networks with an easy-to-use responsive player; but, not without restrictions. In order for users to access profile options, and sufficient space to upload a full catalogue, they have to pay.
Let's face it, being an indie artist isn't easy or cheap. There's the cost of production, studios, mixing, mastering, marketing and so on. That's where one streaming service is stepping in and giving artists a free, attractive option to host their releases. Audiomack, the co-creation of David Ponte and DJBooth.net CEO David Macli, is quickly becoming the go-to choice for industry elite and indie upstarts alike. The site gained major juice on the recordbreaking front as of late, in fact they broke Fetty-Wap's infectious Trap Queen. Last week I had the opportunity to chat with David Ponte, who shared some insight on the service's origins, and its plans for the future.
"We put songs that we feel strongly about in, essentially, a better position to be heard." — David
Ponte
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me David! No problem! I am actually waiting for the internet guy to come get our new office connected. Where is your new office? New York City (still), in soho – it's a new office with a studio. We have rappers and producers coming in regularly, and now we'll have the studio set up for those impromptu business meetings that turn into a studio sessions.
partners. I continued to do that until the last week of December 2014 – and that's when I transferred to Audiomack full-time. Was Audiomack conceived to compliment DJ Booth?
Exactly, an opportunity work directly with artists on their actual music, then help to proliferate their work online and spread the music to the masses. That’s something in motion now.
No it wasn't meant to compliment DJ Booth – it was meant to fill a gap in the (hip-hop) on-line music distribution marketplace. Before Audiomack, even before Soundcloud started to get a lot of traction, a lot of artists would use unprofessional file sharing sites to release music, and give away their promotional music and mixtapes. These sites were shady, loaded with irrelevant ads, and generally, were not a great way to present themselves. It was like spending three hours cooking a gourmet meal and then putting it on a paper plate to serve it. So we wanted to make china dinnerware to serve hip-hop on.
Is that something that you guys kind of had in mind from the get go, or is that something that just happened organically?
I notice the focus and roots of the service are mainly hip-hop, which is interesting – SoundCloud is more dance.
I should mention that my partner is David Macli, CEO of DJBooth.net. We're different companies but there is obviously a lot of synergy between us. DJ Booth is a hub of music premiers and editorial writing, while we're more of a utility for sharing music; but, as a result of our clear collaboration, we deal directly with artists all the time. The emphasis for moving was first and foremost space, as we're growing, but finding an office with a studio was definitely a factor when we were looking.
When you're starting out in web properties you need to have a niche market – start small by getting your audience to buy in to the product and then broaden the field. I listen to hip-hop, rap, and R&B ninety percent of the time, so it's more natural for me to gravitate towards it; although, I'm becoming more interested in other mediums of music.
Very cool – Audiomack becomes something bigger!
We're pretty lucky we're in a space that actually used to be a home-base for producers like Emile (Kid Cudi) and Johnny Brooklyn (Rick Ross), amongst others. A lot of well-known producers were here and created a lot of big-time songs, so we hope to continue that trend in addition to getting work done. What's your background? My work background is in software technology, sales and marketing. That’s where I met all my
With other services charging artists money to gain access to features, like extra downloads, how have you been able to remain free? We’ve been able to very effectively monitize the site with appropriate advertising. We felt it would be better to make money that way, rather than to charge for subscription or a premium service. Subsequently, it's helped drive our traffic.
his. I hope that he got a fair trial and they got the answers they were looking for [laughs]. What is your take on the new streaming service that Jay Z has come up with?
What have been some of your biggest tracks on Audiomack to date? We put songs that we feel strongly about in, essentially, a better position to be heard. Fetty Wap's Trap Queen, for example, which they're saying will be the song of the summer, broke on our site last summer. Jennifer Lopez and Iggy Azalea's Booty remix, was a huge record. We've had some great songs break on our service thus far. Do you guys censor artists? Do you ever receive complaints? We don't censor artists, unless something is ultra malicious, and really, really, offending our users. There was one time I remember, where the Atlanta Police Department hit us up about a project that a user had posted – it turned out that the artist behind the tape, which was climbing up the charts, was wanted for murder. They were trying to find information on him. We really didn't have any clues to who this guy was and if the tape was actually
I don't think they're being honest with the music community. As far as we know, most of the artists involved (in Tidal) have 360 deals with the biggest labels in the world – such as Universal, Warner, Sony and all the subsidiary labels. They say it’s for the people, but that’s B.S. It's a marketing strategy they are using to get consumers to buy in. The labels will be involved in the streaming and get paid. What's different is the artists get to be a part of the title, which will increase the value and equity of the c o m p a n y. T h e y ' r e n o t b e i n g transparent enough, but they don't have to; however, the market is slowing, and not many people twenty one and under will have the $20 per month (or $240 for the year), when they know that music can be accessed somewhere else for free. From what I understand of the service, it has a lot of cool features – so a lot of people will enjoy it. It's just that the way it was presented to the market was flawed. Do you see Audiomack as the go-to over other competitors? We hope so! I think we have a lot of upcoming products and enhancements, in addition to our Audiomack premium products we have right now (which allow artists to share revenue with us) that are – and will be – addressing the concerns of both artists and fans. Listeners want to stream music for free. Artists want to give music to as many fans as possible and make money to support their art. Our stakeholders are very important to Audiomack. We want to increase the audience and the amount of artists that use the site – and we're confident we can. We're providing a good product!
FEATURE
"I call it the cool box, like you know when people say don’t put me in a box? Well, I don’t mind being in this box if all I got to do is do what I did in the beginning."
— Saukrates
Interview with Saukrates
The Canadian music scene has come a long way – and that’s no exaggeration. Artists like Drake and P.Reign are repping the city of Toronto globally, much to the chagrin of many World Star Hip-Hop trolls; however, contrary to popular belief, the hiphop scene in the city has been thriving since, well, forever. Few artists have stood the test of time better than rapper and producer Saukrates, a member of the famed Circle crew, which includes the likes of Kardinal Offishall, amongst others. He’s been around the scene, and then some. His gold, award winning debut album featured Common, Heltah Skeltah, Xzibit and more. He’s a member of Redman’s Gilla House camp, and was once signed to Def Jam records. He’s produced music for the likes of Nas, and performed on stages across the nation – and across the border. He’s a seasoned, well respected vet, and he was kind enough to chat with me about his career, his latest project, Amani, and more. Let’s talk about how you got into hip hop. I think all of us started out as fans you know – just fans of hip hop. I think maybe around maybe ’86-’87, when LL, Rakim, EPMD, and Big Daddy Kane came out is when I really locked in. I already had an interest in the arts, because I grew up playing classical violin, so I always had an interest in performing music. Me and my next door neighbour Lock Jaw, who is featured on the B-side of my first single called Still Caught Up, we used to just freestyle on the basketball court, then one day we decided to just write it all down. I really took it seriously when I got an opportunity at a summer program called Fresh Arts. That’s where I met Kardinal Offishall, Jully Black, Marvel, Solitaire, Wio-K – basically the whole beginning of the Circle Crew. That’s how I got started. Looking at The Underground Tapes – that album was crazy ahead of it’s time. It had OC on it, Common, Pharaohe Monch, Xzibit…do you think you got the respect you deserved off that album? I do think I got the respect I deserved off that album. Meaning to say that I went gold in Canada – and gold back then meant you had to do 50,000+. We got nominated for a Juno, got
nominated for a couple of MMVA’s, toured across the country, and even got some US radio play. Also, the quality of the music has lasted the test of time – like I never stop hearing about that album. I think that’s the most important thing to be said about that album. It’s the fact that everything that was done at that time hadn’t been done before by a Canadian MC or producer. So it broke ground and let a lot of cats know that we can do it. You know what I mean? It was a motivational piece and we got a few cool surprises too, like Money Or Love landed on the Boiler Room Soundtrack for example. My friend and brother from another mother, Mick Karen (he’s now head of A&R at Warner Music), helped put out the underground tapes in the US. We did an alternate cover in Canada. You know the American cover of the underground tapes, the comic book cover? Mike Shinoda did that. He did that like three years before Linkin Park blew up. So that record just helped do so many things, on so many levels. I still do shows off a lot of those songs, people request them. It also got me signed to Def Jam! Once we put that out, and Redman heard Money Or Love, I was on a plane a few days later. It’s amazing how some music can actually stretch over your lifetime and keep coming back. I think that’s what keeps Paul MaCartney going [laughs].
What’s your take on the Canadian scene? It has changed a lot, but as much as it’s changed it’s stayed the same. For instance there have always been hungry MCs out there, and it’s just more popular now. I mean, the internet has changed everything for all lines of business and not just music. So, with that being said the Toronto scene has been able to grow (exponentially) without the help of major labels, which is how we [Canadian artists] used to operate in the past. It almost seems as though it’s come full circle, but there is more exposure now for people who didn’t necessarily have a voice before. Now it is like, you can post something, shoot it with your own camera and if it is quality people will find you.
phase. You know, I looked up to him and Quincy Jones, and the way they are able to stay low, disappear, then come back like nothing had changed and that’s what this Amani EP represents for me. It’s only the first installation in the Season Two campaign. What’s going to be the next instalment? Well, the next instalment we did was a doublesided single, Practice and Elixer. The second chapter is on its way [Amani was chapter one]. The features on it are great – Sonreal is back, I always got to call on Kardi, we always find a way to make it work for each other, and you know, we got other producers coming in, carrying the load with me.
Let’s talk about your latest release Amani. Are you still connected with Gilla House? Well, for me it’s a breathe of fresh air, and another opportunity to put out music under the name Saukrates as an emcee, because I’m also a producer. The quality of the music is so high – it feels like I’ve come full circle, like I went back to the roots. Really, I’m delivering what people expect from the Saukrates brand. I call it the cool box, like you know when people say don’t put me in a box? Well, I don’t mind being in this box if all I got to do is do what I did in the beginning. So it’s a breath of air for me because it is right back to the basics, and I’ve learnt so since I was seventeen years old, so the lyrics to me feel even more potent. We’re having a good time with it, and the recognition coming back, it’s like wow. It’s like the Dr Dre
Yep, absolutely! Redman is more of a big brother to me than a business associates. So, even as Def Jam faded for us, Redman and I basically maintained a family connection – and we genuinely care for each other’s careers. So, we share music, talk shit, and when he comes around he stays at my home with my family. He hangs with my wife, my son and I, just having a good time.
EDITORIAL
They always say hip-hop doesn't live on the radio, but that wasn't always a true statement. In it's younger, and arguably better days, hip-hop was very much on the airwaves. I'm also not talking about notable stations like (NYC’s) Kiss that had the likes of Red Alert spinning iconic sets – I'm talking the college circuit. College radio shows were once a breeding ground for the rawest, uncut hip-hop. Where it's mainstream counterparts jammed the most commercially notable records (like actual vinyl) of the day, college radio shows played the shit that mattered. No matter where you grew up, there was a local college station that had a show – in my case, It was the Peaceful Journey (on CKCU in Ottawa), with Mikey Wisdom and DJ Ducats. No matter what I was doing, I was home at Fridays at 12am with a cassette tape ready to record all the newest shit so that I could show off at school the following Monday – after meditating on it all weekend (of course). What the internet and much networking over the years has shown me is that this experience is anything but unique. Many a hip-hop
Cassette Tapes On Deck: Stretch, Bobbito and the Decline of Hip-Hop Radio
head tuned into their respective "Peaceful Journey" with a blank Memorex ready to rock. If there was one show that set the bar, and arguably still stands as a benchmark for hip-hop radio, it’s the duo of Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito. Their show was broadcasted on Columbia University’s WKCR-FM for four hours every early Thursday morning from 1990 to 1998, and was also broadcasted on Hot 97 from 1996 to 1999. They played combinations of vinyl, cassettes and, on occasion, ADAT reels – dropping intense exclusives and breaking the likes of Biggie, OC, Jay-Z, Nas, Eminem, Mobb Deep, Brand Nubian, DITC, Big L, Wu-Tang Clan and Busta Rhymes. They even rocked with local cats from my city like Thrust and Choclair. The duo’s chemistry, their iconic freestyles, (now) unbelievably mind blowing demo tapes, online antics and ridiculous mixes had heads filling up tapes and walking around like zombies at work on Fridays. The show was named best radio show of all-time by The Source Magazine – well deserved if you ask me!
Their iconic episodes became a hot topic online, and heads were feverishly trying to piece together episodes from their old recordings. Any of the cats who actual give a shit know the struggle – digitizing tapes is a long thankless process; however an incredible team of die-hards on the Philaflava forum worked together to chronicle the show's full timeline and systematically piece together rips. The culmination of years of work can be heard here. Literally they’ve amassed what plays out as an evolution of golden era hip-hop. There’s everything from classic freestyles by Percee P and Big L (with Children Of The Corn), to classic interviews and promotions for iconic albums that you grew up on. Also great guests DJ’s like Funkmaster Flex and Lord Sear were often heard on the mic, and on the mix. It’s probably the best collection of (hip-hop) music you’ll ever hear. If you will, it’s probably the most effective way I can imagine summing up the best years Hip-Hop had, before things got so, you know, commercial and shit. The internet is a blessing and a curse. It made primitive concepts like taping songs off the radio, or recording music videos, obsolete. What’s the point? You can just download it right? But that was the beauty of it – it was harder to get. You either bought it, or lost hours of sleep. It had value. It wasn't as disposable. Can you imagine recording a song off of anything nowadays – for that matter, can you imagine being dedicated enough to tune in at an inconvenient time to catch your fave anything? PVR's and social media has you covered. In this context the new one-of-a-kind Wu Tang Album seems like a great idea. Bringing some value back to music...some genuine excitement to get your hands on a physical product. My own "fly on the wall" search for the lost Stretch and Bobbito episodes, even though digital, took me back to hot summer evenings sitting by my boom box trying to get a snippet of that hot shit.
Long live the late night cassette tape warriors – and be sure to look out for their upcoming Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito documentary!
FEATURE Interview with Moka Only
There’s nothing like pure musical expression that comes from the heart. It’s hard to find in the mainstream (music scene), but it’s easy to find in the expansive catalogue of Vancouver-based artist Moka Only. Roughly 13 years ago, it was impossible to go anywhere in Canada without hearing the sound of Mad Child, Prevail and Moka Only, otherwise known (collectively) as Swollen Members. The trio had a string of hits that ruled both airwaves and television (back when Much Music played actual music). It wasn’t long after 2003 when the smooth voice that graced the bulk of their choruses went solo.
Since the Swollen days, Moka Only has released an almost unheard of amount of music (seriously his Wikipedia lists well over 50 albums), and has worked with the likes of Ayatollah, Abstract Rude, Planet Asia, Dilla and more. He is currently running with a collective artists known as the Torchlight Commission, which consists of Illa J, among others. He’s an incredibly hardworking guy, with a genuine love for what he does. In the interview below he shares some insight on his time with Swollen, his inspirations, his work with Dilla, and his upcoming projects.
Can you start by introducing yourself? Hulooooo! I’m Moka Only, otherwise known as Kareem Serene – among other things. Torchlight commission is my crew. How you doing? I’m doing great brother! Not to sound all Brown Sugar, but how did you fall in love with hip-hop music? I fell in love with hip-hop at an early age, probably in a similar fashion to a lot of other cats in the 80s. Just being around in the streets after school or even during. Some cats would put out the cardboard on the ground at school and start breakin’ with the box blasting. That made too much of an impression to ignore. I had to be down! Tried my hand at dancing, but it wasn’t my area of excellence. Rap just started happening from doing silly freestyles in 1986 to forgetting about it then picking it back up a couple years later – but with a pen. I was hooked! Still am. How did you originally hook up with Swollen Members? Swollen Members came out after Prevail and I sort of failed at being a duo. We met up with Madchild, who was also from Vancouver, and it sort of just clicked.This was around 1995. Came up with the
name and just started from there. We connected with a lot of our other west-coast contemporaries at the time. I soon after realized I’d rather be solo but we kept doing work together – even more so during the early 2000s when I jumped back in the group for a hot minute. Much love to Swollen. You talk about your experience with them on the song Sleeping Dogs. What prompted you to leave the group? As for what I said on sleeping dogs, that was more or less a rundown of my last 15 years. There was no “break up”. It was just me being involved with the group for awhile. We made great music and memories – to this day Swollen def doing their thing. I just prefer the solo route, as I mentioned. Let’s talk about your work ethic, because your discography is INSANE. How much time do you spend in the studio? My studio ethic is serious, but I still make time for all the other stuff. It’s just that I love the creative aspect so much. That’s where the magic is – and it’s how I can communicate with the cosmos. I don’t really think about it, I just do it. Always been like that. Im not out to prove a point that I work harder than others, i’m just trying to maximize on my time.
Do you have lots of unreleased material left over from all of your projects? Can we anticipate more releases like California Sessions Vol. 2? Oh yes, I have a TON of other unreleased material from the early 2000s. It makes sense that I would, because I was busy with the group thing for a couple years, which didn’t leave a lot of time to put out and promote my solo projects properly. Then when I left the group again, I didn’t really look back on my vaults cause I’d rather make new stuff. At least thats how I felt at the time. It was all recorded on ADAT systems, and if you know anything about ADAT it’s old technology that was plagued with quirks and tape eating. My last machine crashed in 2003 and I didn’t replace it until two years ago, so I was finally able to go back through the tape stuff and mix old songs from 2002 and 2003. There’s SO much! I love it and still feel strongly about the material even though I feel i’ve improved vastly. There’s an innocence about the old material that I appreciate. It’s as if the more you learn, the more serious it all gets and you become caught up in the methodology more so rather than the FEELING. I think lately I’ve been returning to the raw FEELING rather than worrying about keeping up with whatever is hot. I’m always just going to be me. I’m not the punchline rapper, I’m more of an arranger of vibes – and yeah, that sounds kinda corny. haha. What’s your creative process like? To speak on the creative process I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say I do it the “old” way. It's all outboard gear, no protools and all that. I use hardware, samplers, instruments and tape even to create the “Moka” sound, if I may be so bold. I mainly start with beats, because I’m a beat maker at heart first and foremost. The beats will dictate the vibe. I’ll either write or freestyle from that point on, then add more sprinkles and mix it. I do this every day when I’m not on tour so, you can imagine it piles up. Mainly every session is just to get sharper and to have sort of a journal – but if I
have a project I’m working on then I stick to the theme of it. You’re also (often) known as Ron Contour and Torch. Are these alter-egos, or simply just names? Ron Contour is really the only other alter ego I’ve used. It’s a whole different character I haven’t visited that much at all lately. All the other names from the past are monikers, just fun stuff to keep it interesting for me and for the fans. Kareem Serene is my latest, even though technically I came up with that in 2003. I’m drinking a coffee right now. Ive never flown a blimp. You’ve worked with the late-great J.Dilla, what was that like? What influence did his music have on you? As far as the Dilla thing goes Im not sure what to say about it. I had reached out to him in the early 2000s and he seemed receptive and sent me 6 beat CDs. It was being arranged that I would roll out to Detroit and work with him in person. Being that I’m a pretty solitary person, and more so at the time, I decided I would rather record alone at home and thats what I did. A certain beat stood out to me and I just took it from there, freaked it and released it a couple years later. I always had the utmost respect for him though. In many ways he felt like both a peer and a teacher. A peer in the sense that when I became aware of his music, it felt like I had met a cousin or something. He was on some original shit, and took chances musically. That’s what I felt I was doing – his reliance on jazz textures is something I related to, since I had been doing that since the 90s as well. In the early 2000s it felt like not many other cats were. As far as the teacher comment, his techniques bred creative sparks in all of us. I’m happy to say that the vibe has continued now that I do a lot of work with his brother Illa J. He’s also part of the movement I mentioned before, Torchlight Commission. Like-minded folks keeping the torch burning.
This may be a tough question, but what’s your fave album of yours? Can you maybe give a top 3?
You’ve been in the game for like 20+ years, is it a trip to see how things have changed so much?
I think my fave three albums I’ve released would be Lowdown Suite, Doctor Do Much and Martian Xmas 2009. At least right now that’s it [laughs].
Things have definitely changed. It HAS been a trip. The internets, the disposability of music as a result, and the way music is promoted. But the function remains the same as it did throughout all time – to entertain. THAT wont change. I just keep going for what I know. Just doing it. Living it. Breathing it.
What can you tell us about NO? No, I cant tell you about NO. It’s a secret. It won’t be for much longer though. I can say this though: It’s a song. What do you have coming up? Coming up, I’m working on an album called Brutal and another one called Magical Weirdness. Magical Weirdness was made for a certain record label that I don’t want to mention, because I want to do a proper announcement when the time comes and the album is turned in. Plus, there’s a chance they may not even LIKE it. I’m sure they will, but I don’t have expectations other than I know that good shit will happen regardless. Can I hint? hmmm…maybe I’d better not. I also have the NO single, which is independent. I’m also starting a record label with my manager called Beautiful Records, and no, I’m not looking for demos. I have a couple other cats in mind from my crew that I will release – but anybody that ends up on my label has to have similar musical values. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish with Torchlight Commission, Kinda like how Native Tounges was in the 90s. Just some cats that share a theme, but do they own thing. Not like a WuTang thing, more loose.
What keeps you influenced/motivated? The thing that keeps me going is just that, keeping going. I'm inspired by the feedback, and being able to do interviews like this – I appreciate having the podium to speak. Touring is also inspiring. To meet my fans and talk to like minded people is unbelievably beautiful. Just being a human, there’s so much shared experiences to muse upon in song form that we all can relate to. I CANNOT see how an artist could ‘run out of ammo’, so to speak. Just do the damn thing! Don’t worry about what all the other musicians are doing. Yeah. Eggs. Carrots. Do you have any last thoughts or shoutouts for our readers? On a closing note, I want to say thanks for the opportunity to speak – and start looking up the Torchlight Commission! Between Me, Jon Rogers, Nick Wisdom, Illa J, Astrogical, Mosaic, A-Ro, Mr Brady, etc, we have a LOT of bang for your buck and your mind. Much love from Kareem Serene.
NEXT UP Interview with Laya Laroche
"Do what you want kitties! Live your life and don't let anyone tell you how to live it!"
—Laya LaRoche
As a preface, I'll say that the R&B game is quite funny sometimes. Things come in waves, which often leaves us with many artists who sound similar. Sometimes though, you bump into a singer that has the it factor – a singer on his/her own plain, that writes their own music and commands your attention. Alicia Keys for example. Some singers just keep it real, and lean on pure
"skills" as opposed to auto tune and commercial influence. Now, I've been known to get obsessed with tracks on SoundCloud, and last week I lived up my reputation. While cruising for some unsigned hype, I came across New York based singer Laya LaRoche. Her song No Gravity off of her debut album (she has two) Let Them Eat Cake had me stuck. I decided to reach to and learn more about the songstress.
Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
What's your writing/creative process like?
Ayyyee, my name is Laya LaRochĂŠ.
I have a lot of producer friends and I meet more everyday. They'll send me a beat and I'll vibe to it for a few train rides until the words come to me. I hear the melodies first, then the words just fall into place. I've written most of my songs while on the train or on a bus. When I have those moments to myself while traveling through the chaos I seem to be more in tune with my inner voice. Weed helps too.
How did you get involved in music? I've been singing my entire life. My family was always involved in music and the performing arts, so singing and creating my own songs has been something that has always come natural to me. Who were some of your influences coming into the game? Brandy has definitely molded me in many ways. Missy Elliot, Jasmine Sullivan, Spice Girls, Gorillaz, and most of the all black female R&B groups of the 90s. I loved the ghetto funk of 90s R&B. My iPod still mostly consists of that type of music to this day. What can you tell us about your latest project Seraphic Nightmare? Seraphic Nightmare is definitely a moodier side of me. I wrote most of the songs when I was actually quite depressed. Even at my lowest I still experienced some moments of joy and happiness and that's what inspired me to call the collection of these songs Seraphic Nightmare. I was suffering from constant nightmares in real life at the time and that inspired me to write songs like Run that later proved to be beneficial for me. This bit of good that came out of my sorrow. The seraphic in my nightmare. How is it different from Let Them Eat Cake? Let Them Eat Cake was more fun and free. It was also my first project so I was trying to establish a style/sound of my own. There also wasn't an overall theme. Every track had a different vibe, but I like that. When I had released it a lot of people told me that they were disappointed that I didn't "sing out" enough and that I was playing it safe. I took note of this and made sure to show my vocal range and just simply go off on Seraphic Nightmare which wasn't hard since it was more emotionally driven.
Think quick: Vinyl or CD? Why? I'm part of the CD generation (well cassette tapes really) so I'd have to go with CD. I can skip straight to my favorite track and put it on repeat like that (snaps finger)! And don't forget about the cd walkmans!! Can't carry a vinyl while listening. I do appreciate vinyl tho. I'd love to get vinyl copies of my projects at some point. It's just classic. I'd hate to see them disappear.
What's your fave album of all time? Why? Daaaammnnn. That's hard. It's a toss up between Brandy Never Say Never and Gorillaz debut album. For me both albums were highly influential. If I had to choose one I would have to go with Brandy Never Say Never. My mother bought me the cd for Three Kings Day when I was 8 (because we're Spanish and we give each other gifts on Three Kings Day). I played the CD on repeat until it didn't work anymore. I literally love every song on that album. Her voice, the lyrics, the production, her emotion. It was all so on point. I still listen to it on the regular to this day.
like Run, I have a stage hand tie my hands behind my back and put a ski mask over my face. This always makes people shut up. As the music begins I tell them about the origins of the lyrics and welcome them into my world. I don't want to give too much away. I would like everyone to see it for themselves (shameless plug). What are your goals as an artist? My goals as an artist are to bring back the music that I love and to continue creating new fusions of the music that I love – and pay my rent while doing so. Dead ass. What are you currently working on?
How would you describe your live show? My live show is fun! I try to have as much fun as I can. I usually start with the turn up records to get people going and then once I've gotten their attention I bring them into my world. With songs
Right now I'm putting together some new visuals. I have plenty of singles out now that I'm dying to shoot videos for. I've got a great team of artists and creatives that I'm super excited about working with. I can't wait to release some new cool juice for you guys! Do you have any last words you'd like to leave our readers with? Do what you want kitties! Live your life and don't let anyone tell you how to live it! We all have magic in us and its up to you how to use it.
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