#20 DJ LSM presents: Hip Hop Breath Radio Pt. 4
+ Innocent? 60 East Juxx Diamondz
+ DJ Toshi ZoTheJerk
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#HHBAllDay Support the movement.
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EDITO Le nouveau numéro de HHB, le numéro 20, annonce les 5 ans de HIP HOP BREATH !! Happy birthday HHB !!! Comme vous le verrez, la rubrique « All Eyes On.. » est de nouveau la car j’ai eu de bon retour. Il y aura donc pas mal de découverte dans ce numéro. J’espère que la mise en page vous plaira, n’hésitez pas a nous emailer (hiphopbreathe@gmail(.)com). Pas plus de blabla je vous laisse découvrir la suite ! Réalisées par LADYSU. N’hésitez pas à partager, commenter !
@LadySuMusic @HipHopBreath
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Sommaire ZoTheJerk … P.6 DJ Toshi … P.12
All Eyes On… Innocent? … P.19 Juxx Diamondz … P.21
60 East … P.24 Napoleon Da Legend … P.28 … …
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ZoTheJerk Interview
Hello ZotheJerk. For those who might be a little unfamiliar with your name, tell us a little bit about yourself. Who are you, where are you from and when did you start out in hip hop? I'm ZotheJerk the voice of the people. I give freedom a voice. I'm from Detroit, MI living in Ohio at the moment. I began my love affair with Hip Hop in the 7th grade and i turned professional in 2006. Big Proof (RIP) made me know i know could make a living off my passion. The rest as they is history.
How did you get your artist name ? My name is Alonzo thats where the Zo comes from lol; The Jerk part comes from lack of tack and straight forward conversation. I hold people accountable. My lack of tact has served and hindered me in some cases. I wear my Jerk badge proudly it gives me freedom from being considered normal. From the point you started out, who would you say were the artists who influenced you the most and from whom you learned the most which 7
helped develop your own style? I'm a student of hip hop. Big Daddy Kane, 2Pac, Eminem, and definitely Big Proof influenced me. I grew up emulating there verses and styles. I think the way an MC says things is just as if not more important than what he said. Each MC builds upon the next as far as technique and originality. I didn't realize i had a style until i noticed a few others rhyming words the way i would and messing it up lol. Then I knew I was on to something.
"Black Beach" is a snapshot of what its like to be black in America in 2017. The symbolic meaning of "Black Beach" is the experience of what its like to be us. The emotion, the triumph, the passion of what it means to be black. You can hear the struggle in my voice on every track. KXNG Crooked, Boldy James, Guilty Simpson, Sadat X, Young Bleed, Eveready, CoKo Buttaflie, and Tone Chop all add to the allure of "Black Beach". I was BLESSED to work with some phenomenal artists.
Can you tell us about your new album "Black Beach" which releases on May 26th. What's behind the name of the album, and who features on it?
What are the concepts and main motivations behind the album, and are these the same as in your life more generally? The motivation behind "Black Beach" was simply 8
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making a socially responsible project. To make it a catalyst to spark intelligent conversation through entertainment. I am just a vessel for people. Their voice so to speak. Some concepts align with my life some don't. Some concepts are motivated by events I have witnessed or been told about. How did you begin your working relationship with Frost Gamble? I began working with Frost after I interviewed him a podcast I was hosting. We clicked and began working almost immediately. How long did it take to write and record the new album, and where did these sessions take place? I wrote and recorded
probably 2 albums worth of material for "Black Beach" from 2014 to 2016 off and on. The sessions took place in Kansas, Detroit, and Ohio. Frost and I have only physically been in the studio once in my home town Detroit. We changed probably 70% of the album 2 weeks before the deadline to turn it in. You received an award for your work in the local community. What inspired you to to become involved with these projects especially as so few rappers do that? We need examples of men in the world. Especially black kids. It's important to support who supports you. I have children and I know the impact positive role models play on their 10
development and self esteem. I have to impact the world they live to change in order to protect them and help them be the best they can be. This is a human mission. We all owe our future the attention it deserves.
@thejerknation and on Facebook @thejerknation! LADYSU
Anything else you would like to say to our readers in France / Europe / Worldwide? "Black Beach" drops May 26th! Make sure you support true hip hop and enjoy the art. I hope it makes you feel the same passion I felt when I wrote it. Don't forget "Black Beach" May 26th at all digital retailers. You can also pre-order "Black Beach" now on iTunes. Oh Yeah... Add me on Twitter
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DJ Toshi Interview Hello DJ Toshi. For those who might be a little unfamiliar with the name, tell us a little about yourself. Who are you, where are you from and when did you start out in hip hop? Peace. I DJ parties, radio shows, make mixtapes, produce and record music. I also organize my own shows, mostly in the New York City area. Originally from Tokyo, Japan, I currently reside in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York City. I got into Hiphop when I watched a Hip-Hop dance
battle on a national TV show. I was around 13 years old back then. The show was very impressive to me, although it was very commercial. I was hooked, so I started looking for rap cassettes at the local public library. From the days you started, which DJ/producers/artists would you say you learned the most from, those who influenced you the most in developing your own style? The tapes that I borrowed from the library featured artists like Curtis Blow, Whodini, The Fat Boys, RunDMC, etc. I made copies and 12
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kept listening to them. Though, I was more fascinated about dancing back then. I didn't get into DJing until much later when the Mixtape became a major factor in Hip-Hop. Propagated by icons such as Kid Capri, DJ Premier, Tony Touch, DooWop, etc. Dope music in 90's and those incredible DJ's really played a huge part in me becoming a DJ. Can you tell us more about your famous internet radio show, Classic Storm Radio. When did you decide to make it? Why? How did the connection made? We will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary in a few months. My original idea for the show was to play new music for the first half and
classic joints in the second half. That’s where the “Classic” came into play. As for the “Storm,” I wanted to impact the audience like a powerful storm and let them feel the classic music vibes. Though, my original concept quickly evaporated as the number of hot submissions from underground artists steadily increased. It kind of changed my focus when I realized that I had the power, and opportunity, to break new, underground Hip-Hop records. So, that’s what I am really trying to keep doing on the show now. Can you tell us more about your mixtape series Dig Down Deep ? And also your new album ?
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The Dig Down Deep's are straight underground, boombap mixtapes. They feature many exclusives, freestyles, rare joints that I recorded myself or obtained from an affiliate artist. Of course, they are all mixed by me and hosted by an underground Hip-Hop icon. I might put out Vol. 5 this year. My compilation album is still in production but I promise it would be out soon. There are plenty of dope features are on it. All produced and cut by me.
What’s your projects for 2017? Currently, planning for the Classic Storm Radio 10 year anniversary show in late September. This would be a really big deal for us and I’m excited about that. We are also running a weekly party called “ Rock Da House “ at The Delancey in NYC on Wednesdays. I’m the resident DJ and every week we have special guests come out and rock the party. And, of course, compilation album.
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What do you think of: The current rap? I know we tend to complain too much when it comes to this, lol, but I just think rap music today is really diverse. So many different styles are out there being created by people of varying ages, colors, idea. There's everything from mumbling kitty rap to real lyrical, hardcore rap music so listeners can choose whatever they prefer. But we will be very protective and serious when it comes to Hip-Hop and its craft. We want the younger generations to learn the history and culture. We should always respect the pioneers that have paved the way for us.
One more thing. I think that there needs to be more balance between the main stream and the underground. I feel like underground artists suffer from lack of support even though they create amazing music, while so many wack artists make millions that they don’t deserve. But I believe it will come back soon. It’s all in the cycle. The place of “real” hip hop? It could be anywhere in the city if the culture is pure. The underground scene in NY and worldwide? As most people know, we have a huge underground scene here in New York City. There are so many talented artists and they're all 16
striving to be the next one out here. You will routinely bump into legendary artists on the street and in clubs like it’s nothing. Lol. I've also had the chance to spin in Europe. I deeply felt and recognized the dope undergroun d scenes out there too. They really appreciate and respect the culture, art and, of course, the music. And the energy is incredible.
taking the time to read this interview. Much love to HipHop Breath. Let’s stay in touch and keep this music and culture alive! And don't forget to like the Classic Storm Radio page on Facebook and follow me on social media to stay updated, @DeeJay.To shi (Facebook) @DeeJay_To shi (Instagram) @DJTOSHI (Twitter) #TheUndergroundLives LADYSU
Anything else you would like to say to our readers in France / Europe / Worldwide? Peace to all the real HipHop heads in France and worldwide. Thanks for 17
Available now !!!
Ladysumusic.bandcamp.com 18
Innocent? Who influenced you the most in developing your own style? There's a few people that influenced me. I would say most of the greats from the 80's & 90's era of HipHop were all of my influences as far as style.
Who are you? Why the artist name Innocent? ? My name is Jason Acevedo aka Innocent? . Started calling myself Innocent? because I was being everything but innocent as a youth. I did really well in school and was very well mannered so it became a question as to, is he innocent? Where are you from? I'm from Brooklyn NY When did you start out in hip hop? I started doing( writing and recording )HipHop in the late 90's early 2000's.
Can you tell us about your last project? My last project, Escape 2 Alcatraz, is entirely produced by Alcatraz Ed from Audio Narcos. The project started out with the two of us just building in the studio and recording a song called "I Rap Like" which has a video on YouTube. The vibe was dope. He's a "boombapper" like me so we decided to collab on a full project. Instead of Escape from Alcatraz, like the classic movie, I decided to change it to Escape 2 Alcatraz, coincidentally him having the name Alcatraz it made sense because I was contributing to the return of the boom bap sound in HipHop. So what better title then Escape 2 Alcatraz. 19
Can you tell us about your future project? I have a project that I've been working on for quite some time with the late great Sean Price of Heltah Skeltah. The project is a very meaningful one to me because he passed away while we were in the process of completion. I put it on hold for a while because of the emotional roller coaster dealing with his passing and other personal issues. Stay tuned for a great album.
to all of the true HipHop supporters such as the team at HipHopBreath magazine. Without your platforms it makes it that much harder for artists such as myself to be seen and heard. Much respect. Stay tuned for more dope music from Innocent?
You sound like: I sound like what HipHop is suppose to sound like. You’d like to work with: All of the artists who've influenced me and help me mature as an artist. Your goal in hip hop is: My goal in HipHop is to make a mark so that I can be remembered and respected as that person, everyone can relate to. I love making good music. You gonna be the next: I'm gonnaa be the next HipHop mogul. Anything else you would like to say? I would like to say thank you
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Juxx Diamondz Who influenced you the most in developing your own style? I listened to a lot of Wu-Tang Clan, Busta Rhymes, Jayz, and a few more dope artist.
Who are you? I go by the name J.U Double aka J.U.X.X Diamondz (Jewels Unbreakable Xcellent Xclusive Diamondz). Where are you from? I am from Brooklyn NY Brownsville area Langston Hughes Projects. When did you start out in hip hop? I started out in hiphop when I was in junior high at George Gershwin beating on the lunch table and kicking rhymes.
Can you tell us about your last project? My last project was called “The Feature Presentation” with Dj H Hart. It was a collective of songs I did with artist such as Royal Flush, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Pace Won, Vvs Verbal, Mic Handz, and other dope artist. Can you tell us about your future project? Well I just finished up my sophmore album titled “Lord Knowz vol 1” featuring a few dope artist and production by myself, Maserati Marcus , and Dj Dister. But I also have my debut album “Juxx Season” in stores now every where.
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You sound like: I sound like myself no one else and not trying to be no one else POINT BLANK PERIOD!! You’d like to work with: I work any dope artist that’s down to put in that work and bars gotta be on point no weak rhymes. Your goal in hip hop is: Just to make good quality music for my fans and for the world, and keep getting that paper lol. You gonna be the next: Not going to be next because I have now!! Lol na I just want to be a well respected Artist and Producer. Anything else you would like to say? Thank you for the interview I highly appreciate it. Make sure you cop my album in stores now “Juxx Season” and be on the look out for “Lord Knowz vol 1” dropping soon.
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60 EAST Interview
Hello 60 East. First of all, who is 60 East? I am 60 East, a Hip Hop Artist from Ontario, California. I've been able to perform at some of the biggest shows in Hip Hop including Paid Dues, A3C, VANS Warped Tour, Hip Hop Kemp and SXSW. I have toured the USA and Europe as a headliner and supporting acts such as Joell Ortiz, R.A The Rugged Man and AFRO. I have been able to work with and make music with some of my biggest inspirations including Blu, Skyzoo, Sly Boogy and LuckyIAm of the Living Legends. Aside from doing music I also throw events, am a frequent panelist at music conferences and speak at various schools and programs. Outside of music I have recently began writing Books and Movie Scripts and plan on throwing
my own Music Festival this year. Where your artist name come from? The 60 East is actually the Freeway I grew up off. The freeway was basically my backyard growing up. I was really into graffiti and spent a lot of time painting the freeway. I always wanted to have a name that represented where I am from, and when it came time to choosing a name, 60 East was a perfect fit. Your project ‘’The Freeway Series Vol.2: Cruise Control’’ drops June 20, can you tell us about? This is part 2 of an on going EP series I have going on. I like collaborating with 1 producer for an entire project and thats what I have been doing, On this 24
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project I collaborated with my friend Phil The Pain, a producer from Boston. I had never lived with a producer, so getting to literally live with this producer for a few months we were able to make a lot of music and bounce ideas off each other. With my EP series I wanted to really focus on me instead of having a lot of features, so there will not be many feature s on these EP's but we did get 1 feature for this project, a young artist named Cam Meekins, who I discovered on Spotify. The single of the project is "Almost There" and was dropped with a Music Video we filmed whole on our last European Tour with cameos from AFRO, Devin The Dude and many more. Were there any particular inspirations for you in making
projects, and in a wider sense, what else acts as your biggest motivational factors? Yes, accidentally i had come up with the ideas and concepts for my last EP while on tour. During the months I was living with my producer we were able to go on tour on the East Coast together and again I had begin coming up with ideas and concepts for the EP while on tour, so I am starte d to feel this is going to be an ongoing thing with these Eps. Touring and experiencing new things is one of the biggest influencers along with life itself. I am a very deep dude, and draw a lot of inspiration from my personal life experiences. From the days you started out rapping, which artists would you say you learned the most from, those who influenced 26
you the most in developing your own style? Thats funny you ask, I actually have a song on this project called Top 10, where I tell the listeners my top 10 favorite artist of all time and why. But I feel I have taken pieces of all my favorite artist (not just rappers) and put them all together into 1 to create myself. To name a few Atmosphere, Nas, Eminem, Rakim. What has been your best experience? My best experience would be performing at the Paid Dues Festival. It was the biggest independent hip hop festival in the world at the time and was thrown annually in my home town. I had attended the festival almost every year for 7 years before finally getting to perform on the 8th and final festival. It was my dream to perform on that stage since I was a kid and on March 30, 2013 that dream came true. I was on the same bill as Kendrick Lamar, Talib Kweli, Macklemore, Tech N9ne and tons of other independent
artist that all earned a slot on the festival. Best day of my life. Anything else you would like to say to our readers in France / Europe / Worldwide? Thank you for reading and listening. I love Europe, they way europeans embrace the hip hop culture was very eye opening to me. I feel the essence in Europe is still very much alive, where as a lot of cities in the United States have lost that. That is one of the reasons I continue to tour Europe more than America. Lets keep in touch www.sixtyeast.net . LADYSU
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NDL Interview Tell us about your newest release ‘’Black Privilege 2’’ ? « Black Privilege » has come to be a much-talked about concept in today’s socialeconomic climate. It’s a direct challenge of the status quo and mainstream mindstate. The release of my single in 2016 coincided with the release of radio personality Charlamagne The God’s book in April 2017. I started noticing that many people were confused about the actual meaning I’d given to « Black Privilege ». Black Privilege (1) was more of a motivational record for me, inspiring folks to perseverance in spite of tough circumstances. I wanted to record a song where I dug deeper in my explanation on the term, also address another
question everybody was asking me about whether or not I had something to do with Charlamagne’s book title. Charlamagne and I had had a brief encounter in November 2016, which I describe in the song as well. The song has been getting love on Hip-Hop shows and on Sirius XM as well as of late. Give us an example of « Black Privilege » in your words? « Black Privilege » is the opposite of « White Privilege », whereas « While Privilege » is the advantages society grants you at birth, « Black Privilege » is the advantages you earn on your own by surpasses the expectations placed on you by society. I believe we as a people have endured so much 28
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throughout history and it has strenghtened us. I believe regardless of race if you are overcoming obstacles set before you, through perseverance, skill, strategy and talent, you are in fact exercising your inner « Black Privilege ». What would you say is the current state of hip hop in 2017? I think the state of Hip-Hop as a whole has never been better from an objective perspective, all nostalgia aside. We as artists are free to express ourselves and be heard on many social media platforms. I also feel like the world is becoming more open to a different narrative when it comes to rappers, whereas it felt that in the past, rappers predominantely of a hardcore persuasion were celebrated. We as artists and MC’s today can be celebrated for showing the whole sprectrum of our persona instead of a smidget. It’s important to break stereotypes
that aren’t based on reality and that potentially damage our youth and become ingrained in our communities’ psyches. Commercial rap will also have « fun » mindless records of the moment in the forefront, it’s always been the case. That’s a lane that’s never going to cease to exist. However, there is a crop of emerging artists that take great care for lyricisim, beat selection, video production and performance. Culture is being advanced still, you just have to know what to look out for and be open to dig a bit beneath the surface (underground). You recently released what many people considered a J Cole diss. What exactly lead to that? That was situation of innocent bystander’s catching stray bullets. I’m a fan of Cole’s music, he’s among those keeping the torch lit. Cole sent shots at many rappers on « False Prophets » and 30
« Everybody Dies ». One line he mentions « napoleon complex », people called me asking me if he was dissing me, which was an absurb but funny perspective. A friend of mine unintentionally challenged me to clap back (he most likely said it jokingly). I hit him back an hour later with E.Cole.lie fully recorded. It was fun to do and in the spirit of HipHop because regardless of accolades and notoriety, I believe my « pen » is only as good as I want it to be on any given Sunday. We laughed and said « Fuck it » let’s put it out. Cole Nation (his die-hard fans) were very upset. That’s what Hip-Hop is about though, when you put yourself out there, you will get challenged. I wish him nothing but the best, but it was a warning shot and an open
invite to back up his lines from « Everybody Dies » where he said « Line up niggas in order Of who you think can really fuck with me most Then I tuck the heat close, if he don't duck then he ghost ». We are supposed to feel like we are the best. Do you think younger rappers do a good job of maintaining theculture of Hip Hop? Has that culture changed to you? I do. I teach HipHop to Middle School and High School students in Brownsville, Brooklyn for an after-school program. I see how much they love Hip-Hop and how they feel about it. Don’t let mainstream media fool you, they love the culture and the artform. Just because there are a few who people might not feel shed the best 31
light on Hip-Hop doesn’t make it right for us to make a blanket statement on the youth in HipHop. Let the youth live, express and have fun. At the end of the day it is an expression, you can’t tell the next person how to feel and how to act. Everything comes back to perspective. The culture is definitely alive and it is evolving as it should. Our concern should remain with ourselves and what we are doing to advance, represent and contribute to it. Let’s not create a Reagan-era like « Drug War » against the youth. Let em live and most importantly do you and rep what you love. Being an active artist in the culture, the responsibility is on my shoulders to make dope shit and continue this tradition people who inspired me carried. No finger-pointing, just spreading that love. If you could use your « Black Privilege » to change one thing
about Hip Hop today what would it be? I am using my « Black Privilege » actively. Every time I drop a project, a song, a freestyle, an interview, I create another ripple that influences Hip-Hop. Believing in myself and in the importance and value of my music is affecting Hip-Hop. It’s up to the historians to describe what my impact was after I’m gone. I’m married to Hip-Hop; the good and the bad parts until I die, when you are committed to your spouse, you do your best to praise, uplift and support. That creates positive change. As an agent of Hip-Hop, improving and changing myself, changes Hip-Hop. That’s how I feel. Whats next up with NDL? Doors have really been opening to me in 2017 as a results of the impact of “Steal This Mixtape” and “Steal This Mixtape Too”. I will performing at the Essence Festival in New Orleans in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on 32
June 30 th . Also rocking a set on Bastille Day on 60 th street in Manhattan July 9 th . Also will be rocking at the Rock Steady 40 th year anniversary in Central Park on July 30 th . I will also be touring again in Europe in August doing concerts and festival dates there as well. I’m dropping a new project by the end of the year as well. I’ve done lot of features so whether I plan it or not it always feels like new music of mine comes out every other week or so. I truly feel blessed to have the opportunity to express my brand of Hip-Hop and lyricisms on those major platforms, it’s always been a dream of mine. From the days you started out rapping, which artists would you say you learned the most from, those who influenced
you the most in developing your own style? There are too many to name, I’m a fan and student of the game. I take from Jay Z, 2Pac, Biggie, Nas, Kool G Rap, Big Pun, Sean P, Raekwon, Ghostface, Royce, Eminem, Rakim, Half-a-Mil, Pharaoh Monche… this list would go on for hours. Anybody who cares about the wordplay and lyricism aspect of the game and creates great records has influenced me. What has been your best experience? Thus far, my best experience has been on the “Steal This Mixtape” tour I did in Europe in February 2017. I did 14 shows in the span of 2 and a half weeks or so. It was intense but so gratifying. Meeting great people, eating good food, connecting with crowds out 33
there so far away from Brooklyn was surreal. It really gave me a glimpse of what’s to come and validated the fact that my music can potentially touch so many souls. Anything else you would like to say to our readers in France / Europe / Worldwide? If you are reading this we obviously share a similar passion for Hip-Hop culture. We all play our part as to where the culture is going, so keep doing your part by sharing what you love and highlighting the beauty of this artform. Thank yall! Peace and love to all . @teamndl napoleondalegend.com
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Thank you to support Hip Hop Breath.
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