Thank you Readers! \ Vhell we SlaJ1 c<l out with the idcOlS of what Si,,"Nation was goi ng 10 be and the possibilities that could ;ui sc, we \\'l: IT hoth dead 0 11 and wayofr. \Ve knew whcll \\"e st;1I1cd that the idc;ls we 1\;1(1of promo ting and S hO\\'GL~ ing North \ Vcst h<lscd artists could lead 10 a good following, \\'e knew that no mallcr what, there wcre I:,,'uing 10 be 1;\Ils out the re Ihal han~ been waiting for something like us \0 come along. I-Io\\'e\'er, what \\'e didn ' t CX pCl:1 was to be as welcomed 10 the scene as \\'e ha\"c been. Our first iss ue rcached roughly 13,000 U niq ue views page in ils ini tial 1\\'0 mo nth run, a lld 10 our gn..:at surprise, our second iss lie Sha[lcn.;d lhat number in a mallc r of \\\'o or three days, and to ÂŁlaiC, our second isslle hilS surpassed 20,000 \'jews. The response we ha\'e seen from hoth our IOGII North \ Vest reade rs, as \rell as 0 111' nalional and internalional reade rs has been <l hlessing! \ rVe saw new readers hip, in Ihe middle easl, including Palcstine, J on lan, ;\11(1 Kuwait, to name a few. \ Ve received our first hils in Russ ia and Japan as well as a slew of o ther cou ntries! All this wilh just a little Coogle advertising and whole lot of \\'ord or mo uth , ;!lul thaI's on you, o ur readers, what makes S;wNalio n great is ollr reade rs! You are Ihe reason we ha\'e see n Sa\Nation spre;uling like \\'ild fire! So, thank you!
For our third issuc wc linked up \\'i lh Portland H ip I-lop duo Tone G & YOllng Dami and worked to not only provided our reilders with a b'Teal insight into these /:,,'uys, but a lso to gi\'C our reade rs a greal and iconic piece of ;u1 work! Big th;Ulks 10 Mike Gaspeed , ror his help with drawing up the initial skel ch and allow me to come in 10 knOl'k it out! Also fe atured in our Ihird isslIe, a rc a selecti o n of gre;ll ;1I1isl from Orq~on and \Vashillht(OIl! \ \le <.:hop il up \\'i th the Portland Trai lhlaze rs' Ollieial nl , OJ, OC ONE, as well s as \Vest Coast H ip H o p great Syko and one of Po rtland best e mcees, M i<.: Crenshaw! \ rVe also touched based with Salem O regon 's heavy hi ll e r Matt y, and wilh Seallle's .J C Flow!
A very big ami speci "l Ih;Ulks goes o ut to all those thaI made our third isslle a realitr a nd to the great a rt ists thaI pUI their ti me into being a pari of SavNat io n, and last hy definitel y not leasl, 10 our readers! You a re why we do this, a nd 'IS lo ng as you want it , S;l\'Nalioll will he he re!
Until the North \Vest Blows t ' p!
Terrv March
~ Enter to w in Autographed copies of Tone G & Young Dami 's The Grind and Young Dami's No Tim e to Waste! FACEBOOK.COM/SAVNATION
SAVNA (Vol. I No. 3)
Pu bl is her: Gorilla Grind Des ign & Prod uction Ed itor in Ch ief / Creative l)i rcc t ol~ 'Ieny L March Managing Ed itor/ Artist Hcla lio ns: La ny J. I-ligucra J r.
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Can you introduce yourselves for our readers that don't already know about To ne G & Young Dami? DAMI: I am Yo ung Dami aka Dami, the coolcst mother lucka' you know! I am a rap mo nster from north Portland, makin ' do pe shit. Trying 10 bring some good mu sic to the people that love good mu sic. I leel likc there is nOlhing but g'arbage mu sic out the re, people listen to and it makes me sick. I hate being a h,lt er but whal can I say?! Tone C: T o ne C aka Antonio, I'm a hard wo rking dude trying to make the music move. I'm interested in rap music and all the good behind the sce nes shit that most don 't know about. There's a lot more to music than jusl- good rhythm and strong words. know it sounds bad but it's a necessary evil, we got to make it kn own that we ARE HERE!! A lot of good music is collecting du st because of the lack of professio nalism, THIS IS A BUSINESS! I hee n at it lor a good ten years and we won't stop! Shout out to the N0I1h \"' est!
What type of music and artists did YOll grow up listening to, and which artists innuenced YOll the most? DAMI: I like all kinds o r music including oldies, soul music, funk , and rap. Artists I like are; Bre nton \'Vood , Rick James, The Cap lhnd, I-Jail & Oates, Fo reigner, Los Tih'l-es Del Norte, Sam Cooke, and T eena Marie_ Hap arti sts I grew up listening to that inf1uenced me are Bone Thugs n Harmony, if it wasn't fo r them I would have never tried to learn how to rap. Other rap (lltiSI such as C-Bo, Cypress Hill , Lltino Vel vet, i\hc Dre, T he Jacka, \'Voodie, E-40, Messy Marv, San Quinn, Berner, Ampichino, S.P.M , Big PUll, Yukmouth, T ech N9ne, Shoboat, RenFctti, Chingo Biing and X Raided all have inspired me. T o ne C: I' m all abo ut th e music._. I listen to it all. Pretty much anything Dami hears, I hC,IL He puts me o n to all the unde rground shit and whatever o ld school he likes, ,lI1d in return I show him all Ih,lt brand new, all th e new tal ents like, Big Sean , \ 'Vi z. Khalihl, Pac Div, \ 'V abFlocka elc .. and of course Lil' \'Vayne , Jay Z, Kan ye, Rick Ross, and all th e music the kid s are listenin ' to, we get it and sl'lJ) il when it's ho t. I grew up o n Bone Thugs n Harmony! I was all ahout Bo ne growing up. I Love Music of all kinds! 10ISAV IATli
~ lIE
I've mostly been influenced by shit I G ill relate to, like my guy Dami and Portland shit (2real and Jus f;lmily).Latel y I'm feeling the electro ho p too, I don 't know, I just like to pany n' shit!
Whe n did the two of yoll get started in hip hop, and when did you start to pursue it as a career? Dami: I started rapping in elementary school, but started writing so ngs in middle schoo l where I met Tone C. Me and Tone would rap to each othe r in the school hall ways, clowning f()ols. In High school we got toge ther and started recording o n braoke machines and 1()Ur tracks. \'Ve wo uld always step up our recording ways, moving up to stu dio programs on th e computer. Tone C was the producer making heats and I was rapping like crazy. vVe've been making music together lo r a lo ng time; T'one C is like a brother to me. vVe were recording with all the ho mies back then who were serious about it, I don't think there wc re as many people back then tlying to rap like th ere is now days. I was eve n in a rap group with my fi路iends Andrevious and JB Stud named NOrlh Pole, people who reall y know me, know aho ut that. \ "'hen I was 1(, my nad passed away and a year later m y Mom passed too, it was a to ugh time lo r me hut I escaped through making my mu sic. Then I met my fi路iend/ produce r Richard P, he asked me if I was serio us about putting an album together, I never tho ught about it until the n. I told him that I was with it, so we got on it. I-Ie introduced me to C raziness rappelj owner of Final Cut Hecord s, he bee n do ing hi s thing fix a lo ng time going hard. Craziness was out of Spokane \ 'Vashingto n but o ut here in POrLland working and running his label, he had recognitio n and a f ~1Il base througho ut the Northwest. \"'ith the help of Craziness showing me the ro pes on how to do I-his mu sic thing right, he taught me if your going to make music it-has to be the best-quality, the best production and getting it mixed right. I-Ie introduced me to T yrant from T yrant Production s and the Illy Billy Beat Cluh, who I had produce some of my album and mix and mastered it all. Craziness was 100 % o n his mu sic and he was th ere to put me o n wit mine . I got on Final Cut records and he got me on a lot of big time shows with him, opening up fo r big time artists. If it wasn't for Craziness and Richard P I wo uld of never bee n able to starl to pursue my career! I put out
my first debut album in 2009 undcr Final Cut rccords and Richard P's Escalatc Productions titled "No ~rim e To vVastc".
fini sh to really do it right and stay on it, that's how wc came up with the conce pt and titlc lor are album "Thc
T o nc G: Dami about sums it up thcre! I personally started out with a dream to bc a producer and a busincss man, which, is still in me to this day, but I'm geared more toward s rapping. I been making music lo ng enough to understand what it takes to be eflectivc in almost evcry position in the game fi'om production to manage mc nt and, wcll, when it comcs to rapping, I'm definitely better than I ;un at producing. I always had a thing for writing and )' m good at it. I startcd gcLling Oil tracks in 2003 or so, but before thcn I was just producing. I fecllikc I bcgan a se rious pursuit of a GlrCer in music whell we got ill there with Craziness at his studio and started working towards Twistapes ch.1 a dope mixtape that featured Sicc C, Lil Danger, Crazincss and Dami on the covcr. I got good fcedback ofT the tracks I had Icatureu 0 11 there, and it's all hi story li'o m there. I wanted to suppOIl Dami by doing more than just comillg to his shows, I wanted to takc a load ofT his back and bc ablc to do some of the behind the scc nes work lor him. I helped him with his first album scnding cmails and doing a lew other tasks to help him gel it done. I know he's got that spark! vVe got something he rc ready for you!
T o nc G: It was a natural occurrcncc being that wc hoth been doing this r;lp shit and m;lking do with what wc had. \ 'Vhen wc had absolutcly nothing, it was only natural that we put the resources \\'e so divinely inherited to work, and knocked out an album of the highest caliher possihlc. \Vc made so mething th;lt we're proud of and wc fund ed it all on our own. Definitel y wouldn't havc heen possihle without Craziness and T yrant who are just as much bchind thi s albulll as wc are. I've heen looking lorward to this moment dropping my lirst albulll lor a long timc! Ileci relicved that it's finished yct I know the work has just begun.
How did the collaboration for the Grind develop? DAMI: Likc I said ~ro n e G and I bee II making music since day one, so we wcrc always rcco rding tracks togcther. It was SOOIl aHer I had relcase "No Time To \ ,Vaste" I was rcady to get back in the studio to gct started 011 another project, I knew it took time, dedication, and a lot of money to rcally record something dope. At lirst I approachcd Tone G to do a mixtape but hc was rcady to go all out with me on a se rious project. So with production (i'om T yrant , Ore C ut , Good\vill, and Terminill and features like 'T h e Jacka , ?vlcssy Marv, Chingo Biing, Craziness, f\i:jay, rvlatl l3Iaquc and Berner wc knew we had something 011 our hand s that was a dassic. I was excited to get features from artist I grew up listcn ing to and really make some dope shit with them, it was a goal for me and Tonc G wc had set li'OJll the bcginning of the project ;1I1d actually made Ilappen. To really pusll tllis undcrground rap music out is a grind !i'om stall to 12ISA'U.... ..:_
Grind ~ .
Both Dami's solo album "No Time to Waste" and "The Grind" were produced in part by Final Cut Records of Washington. Can you elaborate on working with final cut? I-low has it helped with spreading your music ror instance? DAMI: Final Cu t Record s is m y friend/ mentor Crazincss's label. He lIas been running over tcn years, doing hi s indepcnde nt thing, which has had hugc success. 'To me it was a pri vi legc to be a p;ut of Final Cut Records, that 's my backbonc and making music wilh Craziness is a blessing. Craziness has taught me so much ahout thi s independent rap ga mc, /i'om recording to doing shows, th e ins and outs. Final Cu t ha s actuall y helped me get my foot in thc door /i'om networking and opening up for big artist, just got me taking my music serious and getting mc on thc right direction. Tone G: Anytime you put me in /i'01ll of a person that carries thcmselves with a high levcl of conlidence in what thcy do , I tcnd to listen in and soak up cverything likc a spongc, CVe l) ' Iittlc detail about what it is that makes Lhem tick. Usually when people have this high levcl ofcerlainty it's lor a reason. I do know a lew assholes that are co nliden t f(x no reason, but I disregard thaI shit vVorking with tinal cut has been nothing but a great expe riencc shot out to Billy, COItez, and C razincss much love to them and thc wholc movement behind thcm .
How do YO LI feel abollt the response YOLI have received after having released "'The Grind"? DAMI: Before we released "'The Grind" we played tracks olfthe album around town and the people who heard it were buggin' to get a copy of it, lite rally every single person who had hea rd it wanted it. As soon as we dropped it eve rybody I knew bought a copy, some people even boug-ht a ICw copies. It was exciting, peo ple coming up to me rapping all the words II'om the album. They knew my lyrics better than me. Evel)lbody tells me it's a solid album, has something lor everybody to vihe to, mu sic for the nigg;ls and music for the bitches. All of it. Tone G: I W;lIl t more! I'm definit ely blessed to have the support that we have received thu s I;u' but I know we G ill do beller! vVe' re moving units though! My team, my good fl'ie nds take to the strecls with posters Ihers and CD's to spread the word. Shot ou t to my guys C ruz, Rud y Ro lon, Diego Hernand ez, Louchie Vega , Danny Cassaro, Gr'lphik, Mikey Dubhz ,lI1d DL. They've bee n acti ve with it since th e beginning! I don 't know who was more exc ited about the album completio n, us or them! )I' ) Icfi you out know th at you are equally appre<. iated!
What do you see as the biggest cha llenge for independent artists in the North West? DAM): The biggest challenge lor independent ;lItist in the Northwest is its to ugh because there isn't anyone on yet. The re's is so much talent ou t-here but the re also is so much bullshit out here. It makes it tough. If you really arc about it, stay on it and one day it might pay 011', if not you had fun doing it. That's the way I look at it. Tone G: There is no excuse to be slackin' in the No rth west right now. T'here are way too mall Ypeople doing it right out he re that-all you gut to do is ask the right person, don't be stubborn about your music you G ill easily Google anyone of th e anist in the tOWIl getting good noto riety and put your music si de by si de with it and see what it is your up against. I know a lot of people take pride in making their own "beats" but damn you know when you rea lly got slaps and when it's so me bullshil. The toughest thing is geuing you r 14ISA'U.... . . : _
business right. There ,Ire many great studios e ngi. neers, graph ic artists, etc o ut here, all you got to do is be patient and take it one step at a lime.
The term "supportland" ca n be heard from hip hop artists all over your city, how do yo u reel that concept rea lly represents the unity in Portland Hip hop? DAMI: At one point I fdtl ike the arti sts in Portland on ly care about themselves, but if they took time to show more love to others something could happcn. I see artists coming together at these shows, such as Poh Hop and all kinds of other shows and I like that. vVe need more event s like Poh Hop, that's what I consider supportland. evc n ir we just collaborate on songs too. vVe do need more of thaL I got to give a shout out to Cool Nutz and eve lything he's doing with the Northwest Breakout Show, now that's a huge part of the Supportland move ment in general. Tone G: Dclinitely been seei ng the #supporLland love takell to die lIext level lately! Shot out to AOB, Mighty, Talia Reaso ner, and Yo ung Mil, taking it to the lIationallevel and wi th the help or die LOwn hrillg. ing home wins on IOGth and park. I know I parLici路 paled ill the whole ordeal, I was placillg votes, I been re路tweeting and rcposting videos JI'om all the north路 west arti sts. The Ullity is defin itely divided but the support is definitel y there as wel l.
"Vhat No rth ''Vest artists are YO LI listening to? DAM): I'm listen ing to m)' IlOmies Mikey Dubbz, DL, .lames Blak & Graph ic right now. But othe r Northwest arti sts I listen to are Lil Danger, YoungJay, On One, Al:jay, Alldrevious, Boss King, T Bahy, Louchie Vega, Houl etle Del Gato, \ 路Vate r, !vIr. Patron, J ohnny maze, rvlaniac Lok and Brown C~tesar.
Tone G : I listen to all the shit! I'm a H UG E Luck One and Mikey Vegaz f;lll, those are two of my I;\\"s. Lltel y. I been humpill ' thatllew Mikey Dubbz project and th e new shit we got in the works with the rest of the f;lm. Recelldy we were blessed to gel in dlere wid} Bubba Ku sh and get o n hi s new projects and I been
tuned into the New 'Vest Movement. BIG SI-IOT O UTS T O: AlOne, Rose Bent, IlImaculatc, Only onc, T'hief Sicarrio, S I k Ones, Mr. DOG , SWAG , Cheezaleo, TXE (T'ope and Epp) , Fres h Selects Kenn )' Fresh, Brown Caesar, Boog"l., Drecut, Grump Doll,lz, m;\j , Stcwi e Vuitton, the whole Nine Side mO\"Clllent, Logics, Kellny Mack, Cool Nutz, M,lIliac L.ok, Greg Mckclv, Stc"e-o TSBG , V Dewayne, Six, Matt Randol AND EVEHYONE!
''''hat can our readers look for in lhe near i'uLUre i'ro m Ton e G & Dami? DAMI: ' ,Ve arc working on a group prqject with some fri ends of ours; ,!II produced by my dudc T yrant and The luy Biuy Beat Club. Me, myself I though t ahout recording a new so lo album and ste pping it up lex my people. To let e,"crybody kllow the re will dclinitcly be ano th er T o ne G ;lIld Dami album in the works, we will he starling that o ne soon. I'm go ing to keep m<lshin ' these aibuills out, fuck a mixtape! GOlia put your hea rt and soul ill it! Tone G: 'Ve got somc free prqjects in the works 10 he released in thc ncar future. In honor of' ou r Ical ure in thi s Inagazi ne we arc ollcring a li"cc sample down load or our ;dhum "th e Grind" which Features ivlcssy Marv, Chi ngo Bling, Malt Blaquc, 13crner, The Jacka AND MOHE!! I w<In t to l4"ive a speci;11 shot out to T en), March of SavNatio n and Mike G;lspeed, who did thc ('O\"CI' ..u1 lor us, putting us right illto ;1Il c pisode of one or Amcri GI's favorite cartoon.
Click below to buy music fi'om Tone G & Dami!
Click here for a free sample download!! SAVUT1IIISs.rE I 15
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Ca n YO LI tell LIS a lillie aboll t YOllrself a nd what Syko is all aboll t.? SY KO sta nds Ii:)r the Ski lled You ng Kreati\'c O rganism. a name Iha l [()u lld Ille in j ullior high, alier I was j Ulll ped by a group of people. I actuall y ended lip se ndi n' a coup le 10 th e hos pital and hreaking one cat ribs.. .m)' Mo ms 'H.:tuall y gave me the nic kname!!!
Syko is a prodtu:cr/anist/sLand lip comedian .. .1ol. I'm pretty much .\ Di nosaur, last of a d ying: breed. Loya l & H um hlc ... hut a l the same time , possesses a vcry low tolc ram:c fo r no nse nse.
You come fro m a f~lm i ly with a stro ng musica l backgro und, how does infl uence YO llr music now?
My backh'Tound influences my music daily, its hereditary. lVly Moms was parl of the Soulful 'f rio ou ua' Portland, Or., named "Sundays Child ", they toured all ove r. .. had a deal with \ 'Varner Bros. back in the 70's. Did shows on the Flip vVilson Show, E.d Sullivan, and did global U.S.O. tours with Bob Hope. My mOIll also managed to gain perso nal relat-ionshi ps wi th people like Gregory I-lines, Sammy Davis Jr., & Buddy Mi les to name a few ... one thing I like the most is that she played at Carnegie I-Iall in NYC with Sammy Davis Jr. !!! That's dope to me. The music that was played in my house hold and my Moms exte nsive knowledge of music made me who I am today. Even as hu' hack as bei ng in her stomac h, rumor has it I o nl y moved when music was played.
' ,Vhen did yo u first start writing and becoming active in hip hop? I wrote my lirst rap when I was 11...1 thi nk it was called "Fakin' like you somebody" or something like thaL.lol. It was n't till I was abou t 12 when my Il'iend Adri,1Il aka A-Sk i pul me in li'onl of a beat mac hine ... I made my first bcat which was followed by my lirst song "Young I-I ustler"... \ Vhic h I still got on casseue !! 101. After that, I was hooked.
''''hat city are yo u currently resid ing in? curre ntly reside III Portland, Oregon ... m y hirthplace ... as much as I complain ,I hout ce rtain aspccts of my city, there's no place like home.
How do yo u feel about your local following? I lecllike I put in a lot of work lor the North \ 'Vest as a whole. A lo t of people show tall respect, while the oth cr half feel like they gotta try to outdo me ... Or compe te with me. \ Vhen all in all I've bee n open ing doors for yea rs... and always work wi th anybod y TRYI NG to put ill work. I feci li ke my lollowing out here is straighL.whenever I go to other places around
the North vVest..there are a lew namcs that pop up with our history in hip hop. I'm glad to say my llallle is always brought up ... it leels guod to know that your work isn't falling on deaf ears.
You have been actively creating music since 1998, loo king back, what have been the best and worst times, as an artist? Ah hh man, lol...the \'V ORST times . .I 'd say was gelling out peddling CDS like crack!! !! I was ou t there hu stlin ' in that e ra when "Out The Trunk ~ mcant something. \ Vhcn peo ple never heard of you, it made it harder gelling your product oIl', but once th e mu sic won them over, People demanded it. So thaI 's kind of the best ami the worse the n. The best times I can hon estly say, is getting on slage, and people know the word s, or you get people stoppi n' you sayin' "Aye Syko, such and such song got Ille .um)Ug , II t IliS '" ,or " (011 I ' t stop, we I"lstenlilg" . I t 's tIe I people tha t make me lCeI like I'm doing this lor a reason, and not just making music lor my f]路iends.
Not velY many Northwest artists were blessed to work with the late great Mac Ore, how was that experience for YOll a nd your professional career? Mac Dre was a rcal bless ing; we lin ked lip through mutual fr iends (Kenny iVlack & Armond Harper) \\'ho I givc all the cred it to for making that connection happen. I was really into a lot of bad shit at the time, and was ge tting in to all kinds of trouble. \ 'Vhen Dre came over and heard Illy mu sic, he just told me I had it and I needed to get out of Portland. Next thing I knew, I was driving to California, hardl y any money, but shit, I was with Mac Ore!! I wasn't lrippin! I kncw once I got to the lah, histOl)' would he made . Olle thi n~ pcoplc don 't realize, is Drc was a real close frien d & mentor. \ 'Vhen I was in Sacramento my roomma tes werc Mac Dre & Rydah J . Klyde, these arc the people I smoked , d rank, and created with day in and day out. . .1 reall y got adopted as I~unil y , I just thought I was gonna go in, make beats, then that was it. I ncver thought I'd be res pons ible lor 2 of Dre's $AVIIA_ ISM:l1IEEI19
biggest hits in his career (Boss Tycoon & Thizz Dance) I was already doing my thing in Seattle with the Sykotherapy album on Street Level Heco rd s with D-Sane, that record was big for the North "Vest at the time. I had X- Haided's mom Oaz Brown) trying to sign me as well as a Ray Blodgell .Ir @ Rap-A-Lot records was trying to sign me around the same time they signed Yukmouth. I helieve ivlac Dre and I linkin' up was almost destined. I think <l lot to myself, what if those tracks neve r got made i)? 'Vorking wit-h him (Ore) just opened up a lot or more opportunities for me in th e long run , at first people thought I was lying about producing the tracks, now when you go hack and liste n to Mac Dre sayi ng ''T haiS dope, Syko" or 路Syko make them hoes sing" you see how ollicial it is. I'm a part of' 'Vest Coast Hip I-lop History; I co ntinue to get sought out for all things music. I give 50% of that to Dre giving me good game and making me a more humble cal Slaying hungry, the other 5096 is all me lo!!
'''' hat other artists have you worked?
I've worked with almost evcI1,bod y on our side of the coast, artists like Brotha Lynch, The Jacka, !-Iusalah, J-Digg;:, Messy ivlarv, Dubee aka Sugawolf Pimp, Suga Free, Ouna, Yukmouth, Ap-9, Cool Nutz, Celly CeI, & a lot more! I was also ICatured on 2KSports College !-Ioops 2K7 on all game platlonns which featured the song "Sykc Daddy", that was a real dope move!! I've yet to see another underground N' ,Vartist do that-based ofT word of mouth. I also jump sl;u1 ed career of other Portland Emcees like T.Soprano, JIM C2LE, & The Taliban. Big Pooh B & Young \ ,Villz are like the founding f;lthers or my turls music ... i gotta give them that credit.
What do you have in store for your fans in the near future? I got so much stull' I'm workin' on!!! A lot o f' people know I do the Free Music thing a lot, kcepin' m )' name oul there and kccpin' the people happy.. I just dropped 2 E.P.'s online @ \,,\v\v.syko 12.IJandcamp. coll1 & \\'ww.sykothcm<ln.blogsp0l.com "'The Best or Syko 20lSAVllATIIII IUlETE
VoLI" & "Syke Lee: Do The Syke Thing". My new album ''T he Norman Bates Prqject" will be out end of'summer. I'm constantly working so the f~UlS knows when they see my name on something... it's gonna be knockin!!! I just produced Luni Coleones whole new album "New Sac City" which is set for a October release, I think a lot of' people gonna he surprised at how I brought Lun<lsicc & Luni Coleone hack with one album .. .1 Just wrapped up production on Ouna's 2 new albums where I remade the iV!ac Ore classic "Stay On My Toes" . .I I M C2Lf. & The Taliban's Debut albums are on hunes now und er Making The Grade Entertainment. I just keep working non stop and just let my catalog get thicker and thicker. So I just want to let the l~lIl s know, I doubt imma' stop anytime soon!! Keep checkin' feJr me!!!
' ,Vhere ca n our readers go to find out more information our buy your music?
lot of' my mllSIC ca n be found on \\',\',v.sykothcman.blogsp0l.com that's my personal blogs pot, you' ll catch li'eestyles, exclusive tracks, videos, fi'cc albullls and hUiles album s for purchase, Lhey can also Ilil www.syko12.bandcamp.com for f!"ce ,t!bums. Follow me 0 11 twitter @SYKOI239 and on F13 \\1ww.l;tcehook.com/ syko 12 spots like DatPilf and Soundcloud also have a lot of SYKO music on there, so hit them sc.m:h engines and type SYKO up, I'm ,dways active, and not that hard to find!!!! hunes is a good, quick, 1 ~I S l way to find <Ill things SYKO, hard copies will be <Ivailablc through all inte rnet retailers and mom and pop shops around the time of'release oates. II拢! A
~. Subscribe for Free at SAVNATION.COM
Can yo u introduce yo ursel f to our rcaders? Who you arc & where yo u're from ? My name is '\1ic C rensh<lw. I live in Poniamj Oregon and ;un o riginally from Cilicago and Minneapo lis.
You have albums dating back to 1995, what brought yo u into rapping a nd making records? Arou nd 1993 I started doi ng poetry slams in Portland and pretty much could win them 8096 of the time. T'his got me entering them just 10 help pay rent with the prize Illoney. A lew slams had bands pbyi ng behind the poetry, so I became acquainted with some 10câ&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘1 musician s. David Parks was o ne such Gil and he was a drulllmer and pen'ussio nisl. He approached me first with the idea o f putLing together a liYe 1-1 ip I-I op halld with me as the emcee. It was jusl wh al I was loo king lo r. I had been rapping I()r fun since I was abOUI 9 and knew I could li"cestyle and write. I h;u\ also hee n in a number of roc k hands that never palllled o ut o r weren'l fUll ky e nough 10 capture the soul I wanted 10 ex press through Hip Ho p. Hell, my firsl rap b'l'OUP \vas put togeti ler fo r tile Soulll H igh School Talent Show in Minnc;q>olis, 198G with Kool Akeem of the laler linnous Micranots 0 11 the 1's and 2's, Anyway. H unb'TY Moh was the band D;I\'id and I starled in 1994 in P0I11and with some ot her com rades and the rest de\"eloped tj"OIn there. Suckapuch, Cleveland Sle;uners, Synapse, Polio p, l.:Ic.
Alo ng with rapping, yo u arc also <'l Jl accomplished poet, winni ng lhc title of Po rtland Poeny Slam Champion 200 1. How does ),o ur poe uy relaLe to yo ur music?
Same thing, belore all the intellectual analysis of the dille re nces, I have styles that sound bette r to a beat ami styles th at sound better acape lla. I aim to have all I write sou nd eve n more powerful acape lla, in truth. T'hi s comes from competing with C<ll~ like Saul \,VilIiams, J essica Care Moorc and that brother who played "Poet" o n OZ in the 199G National PoetI)' Slam Com petition in Portland. Thosc lolks madc me want to step my game up. Lyricism is poClic to me.
O utside of hip hop, yo u've had a velY acti ve career involved in social wo rk; ca n yo u tell our readers abo ut yo ur work with the AHA (Anti Hacist Action) & Globa l Fam, as well as yo ur work with public schools in Minneapolis and Portland? I was a teac her /i'es h ou t of High School in Minneapolis aLthe same time I was o rganizing and lighting racist gangs and Klansmen and their sympat-hize rs on the street. It was amidst th e violence and organizing as a high school stud ent that m y tcachers saw lit to oller me ajob as a tC<-lCher when I graduated to help give me something more constTllctivc and practical to focus o n. Eventually I grew oul of lighting and learned to idenril), the root causes of the issues I saw as crucial, namely rac ial, economic, and social just-ice, gender equality, revo lut-ionary thought and action. These thi ngs became the backbone of the curriculum I taught in class and the consciousness that drove our relationships on dI e street. ARA was sl;1I1ed by a group of us in 85. \,Ve we re anti raci sts skinheads and multi ethnic youth who believed we had to co nli'ont racis m whe re it stood in the attitudes and action s of people in our city. \IVe talked about prohlems with people but we re fond of fighting the rac ists and the ir buddies. Ultimately we developed a regional, national and later glohal network of activi sts. Alier teaching some workshops at difIerent social justice orien ted eve nts and schools and un ive rsities and organizing fundraisers and Hi p Hop shows throughout Portland, I was invited in 2004 10 go 10 Hwanda 10 an Economic J ustice Co nle rence hy the A FSC. T'he deal was thaI I had to com mit 10 two years of follow up work hack home in the States. My business partner Morgan Delan ey and I slarted Global Fam wit-h the purpose of meeti ng a co mmitment made in Rwa nda to ship compu ters and educational
resources to the Central Africa n G reat L ikes Region, specifically Burundi. \ ,Ve knew we had to raise money and gather communi ty support, and eqjoy the work. \rVe decided Hip H op concel1s were th e way to do all of the above and had Dead Prez and Immo rtal T ec hn ique with local support o n several occasio ns come ou t and do shows to support Ihe c;mse. T wo compu ter cent ers have opened and are run nll1g III Burundi to thi s day, See glohalfiun.org for more del'a iis.
What drew you Ii路om Minneapolis to Portland? Are you still active in the ca uses yo u wo rked with in Minneapolis? Looking f()I' a change of SCenel)', I am still tight wit h my /i'iends who I used to run with. \ rye gel' together eve ry so o liell . I am not an active mem ber of ARA, but I am still grinding for a bett er world.
How do yo u balance being a n artist/perfo rmer a nd a social activist? Does o ne take precedent over the ovel; or do they intertwine? All l)(u1s of a whole in constant evolution.
Being one of the longer established acts in UlC No rthwest, what has been yo ur experience with the Northwest scene? Should I have leli: a long time ago? \ 'VT'F!il I get love, but I get slept o n too ..
What advice wo uld you give to new artists trying to get established in the North West? \ IVhen the game is less fun, more work, understand YOll have to love it 10 be ellective. \rVh en your losses oU lwe igh your gains, be honest wilh yourself and ask if chasi ng a dream at all costs is worth the reward. If so, keep striving.
What projects do you have in ule works? Ano ther solo album, 100 mall)' ulliinished co llaborations to me ntion!
Where can o ur readers go to find more info rmation about you? iVI icc rc Il S ha w. co m, f ~lC e boo k .com/ m icc re n sha w, g lohall~un.org, yu utube, google m y name!III:] SAW UTIIII m. TJI[( 123
Can YO ll tell LIS a li ttle abollt yoursell: where yo u're from and how you got started in hip hop? First o ll ~ I \\";\Ill to thank C"CI) 'OI1C al Sa,,~ation for reach ing o ut 10 me about this interview hecause I appreciate it imme nsely. My lIame is Mattv and I' m from Salem , Ore. I\ 'c released a albullls a~lll 4 mix路 ',Ipes and I am aholl t to release m )' 4th full-l c llJ.,rth album titled "That Mo ment", I've been listening to hip-h o p pre tty much m y whole life. I got started into hip-I lOp ill 71h grade whe re I start ed writing poe m type things in s Ollle note boo ks, not in so ng I(lnll but more like an lIll-orga ni zed ('u llage or rhyming lilles. III high sc hool , I recorded a lillie bit here and there 241SAVllATlIII ISM:l1IIlE
but !len:; r rclc'lscd any o f it ... th e n I record ed my first album "\ '' 'here I'm From" in 200G and it 's bce n a wrap since Ihen.
In regards to creating songs, what has been the biggest innucncc on you? I'd !i;l\"C 10 say the biggest inlluc ncc in regards 10 creating m y music is life. I write ;1 lot abollt whal I\ 'e scen or wh'lt I'\,e been through. The peopl c I surround m yself wil h arc ;1 huge inlluc ncc 0 11 me as well . There .Ire a 101 of ve ry talen led ;utisls in Ihe North west lil al I re ill y SliPP0l1 and look li p to becau se I was a fa n of good Illusic bcJore I sla rted making Illu sic, so I'd say o lher arti sts GUillot neccssar路 ily inllu e llce me hut de/illitel)' mo tivate me. I reall y work hard to sl'a y cOllsiste nt with m y Il'lli s ic by taking
my time and maki ng sure e,'eITthing is exactly how I want it to be before I release it. I'm a lirm believer in qual ity ove r quantity when it comes to music.
' rVha t goa ls do YO LI wish a rtist?
to
accomplish as an
\ 'Vhell it comes down LO it, I want to be able to make m usic and tou r lor a living witho ut a day jo b o n the side . 'T o make a good living doing something I love is the ul timate goa l. Anyone who is making music and says they do n't want to make mOlley is either lying or bli nd . T hat's the botto m li ne. I ha ve lo ts o r goal s o r coursc hut that's the main locus. As you can probably tell , most of my goals I haven't reac hed yet but I don't bel ieve they arc imposs ible.
How do you go about choosing a beat to write to o r an artist to collabora te with? \,Vhen I'm starting a new project, I go th rough beats that producers se nd me. For instance lor th is new albu m I am abo ut LO release, I went th rough over 500 beats sen t to me by prod uce rs fro m all over the cou ntry. I then chose the one's I feel li ke I could write to and th at also lit the it:eling of the prQject I'm creating. As f~lr as collaborating with o th er artists ... when it's fo r my own prQject, I strategically collabo rate with artists who have their own bUl'2 and recently, who are in dille rent regio ns than I am . I do th at because when I collabora te, I want that arti sts I' m working with to gain new bms th rough me and I want to gain new I;ms th rough them. Us uall y artists who have bigge r f~lIl bases than I do o r are mo re natio nall y/world wide known than me are great to work with because all of their 1;\I1s hear it too, therefo re be H er i n~ my situation because of the song we mad e.
How do you feel YO LI have progressed since your first release in 2006? Musicall y, it's like night and day now. I've progressed tre me ndously si nce the first prQject. l owe Lhal LO the peo ple around me, my pati ence and persiste nce and
my locus to get bette r. I thin k that when you co nsistently do anything in life, ove r time you will get better and master that cra iL I believe that I've gOHen bette r in every aspect or what I do. The Illusic, promotion, networking, mak ing caree r decisio ns, live shows and eve l)lthing else. HOllestly, I call 't eve n listen to my li rst album anymore because o r all the mi stakes and it's almost painful to listen to my content and rhyme schemes. H oweve r, I thin k that 's a good thing because that means I've progressed and it's sometimes good to loo k back o n how I;\r you've come.
have worked with some o f the No rth vVest's best anists, how has collaborating with o ther a rtists affected your slyle, work roll ow, e tc.?
YOll
I thin k anytime I work with great artists or produce rs, it makes me ste p up and rea lly take my time. Th at's no t on ly to not get outshined on the song, but also to make great music. I really try no t to let other artists allect my style o r writing and record ing but I also thin k that I've learned a lo t (i'om the great artists I've worked with so I guess they have allected me to a cellain ex ten t. For instance, I've worked with the ho mie ill maculate o n the last 2 albums and whe n he se nd s me his verse, I reall y take my time o n my ve rse . .. artists of that calibe r reall y make you step up.
'''' hat artist would yo u say is your dream collaboratio n? I actually get as ked th is q uestio n all the time and I have a few dillere nt an swers lo r it. I-Iaha I t-hi nk my number o ne d ream co llaboration would be with Emi nem. Not-just because I'm a huge f;\I1 01" his, but he's arguably the most successful rap artist ever and it would be great Ic)!" my career as well. I'd love to work with Kanye, Lu pe, Jay, Royce, T ech N9ne. \ ,Vayne etc .. . basica lly any who wou ld better my ca ree r and th aI I'm a huge 1~1Il o r. I'd also love 10 work with no nrap artists as wel l. I'm a h\l1 01" m usic lirst and worki ng with band s and si nge rs would be terrific.
\,yhar has been your ex perience with inde pendently distributing yo ur music, what have you learned, and in what areas do yo u seek improvement in?
You know what . . . th e biggest thing I've learncd is th'l t you truly ge t wh'lt you put into it. Indepe ndently distributing my music is absolutely more diflicuh <lnd much more work but tl lc rcwards arc much more benelicial. I've lea rned tilat you reall y need to gel out 0 11 the road and make yourself be seen. No o ne is goi ng to h;lIld you anyth ing and YO ll need to go get it yourself. Through the years, I\ 路c reall y lea rned a lot abo ut the business aspect o r music and r usc that knowledge da ily wit h the dec isions r make. I'm always trying to improve, honestly. I think as an up and cOllling artist you call ll eVer he satisfied with anything because there is alwa ys room lor ilnprovcmclll. I think that I ca n 'I hsolut ely improve on laking chances and gCll ingou t there mo re regio nally th;mjust in a few states. Like 1 said, Ihe re is too much room for improve ment to he satislied. The biggest room in the world is the room I{)r improve me nt.
\'Vhat projecLs do you have in the works and where can our readers go to find Ollt more about Matty? This has heen by the busiesl ye;u' I've eve r had. I rcle'lscd it mixtape ca lled "- Rappi ng O\'cr BealS That Arc AlreOidy Popular" with 01 FlipFlop in March and I am actually releasing my 4th album this .I uly called "That Moment". I' m also goi ng o n a 12 city tou r in correspo ndence with th e release or thi s album to "Vashingto n, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada and Calil()J'Ilia. Be o n the lookout lor the album, it wi ll he ava il ahle everywhere music is available. This new alhum Ica tu res illmaculal.e, Okwerdz, Luck-Olle, Marvwo n, Sca rub (of Li ving Lege nd s), SPAC:i MAN, Chase rvloo re and more. Prod uct ion from Trox, T erminill, C hase rvloore, T o pe, Goodwill , 9 D1'\'1 and more.
The re'lders can find me at the f{)llowi llg links: \\'\\'w.TllisisMatt y.com \\'\ \'\\' .T \vitt er .('om/ rooll a tty50~i \\'\\'\\'. Facehook.com/ MattyM lIsic \\'\\'\\'. Youtuhe.('oI1VMallv3
SCA . WITH UDLASU
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\,yhat do you feel in rega rds to t.he music scene in the North "Vest. and how have yo u been received by the hip hop 1;1115 in the NW? I get asked what r think aho ut the N\V mu sic scene all the lime and r think that I Illay have a dillc rent view o r it than th e average Em because I sec and hear everything that goes o n be hi nd th e scenes ano everything else. So in th'lt regards, I really fc cl that the North\\'est S('e ne is very alive and thriving. There is an unbeli evable amount of talen ted , driven <lItists and producers here and the wo rld is abollt to see thal..I usl in the last year or so, there arc a handful of aItiSlS really making moves ou t here and ge uillg shows and appearances o n a 1I'l tional o r even o n a world-wide leve l. I'm actuall y rea lly proud to be a part of such .1 diverse, l.de nt ed area. I personally ICcilike I've bee n vely well received h y the ran s here. My last 2 albums have sold ve ry wcll and I've always had great f~lIl s that go out of their way to make it to show or hel p promo te.
I want to tha nk Sav Nation and all or the rC<l<le rs lor your time. I 'Ipprec iate each and cvery one of y'a ll. "'fhat ;"lo l1leI1l " ava ilable tlli s.luly! - Matt y G
k elinh'"S flow. Being G reek sets me apa rt li'OIn many othc r mainstrcam h ip hop mu sici;lI1s out today. I am the "True G reek Mad I-laneI''' of hip ho p &. proud o f it.
How do you find inspiration for the songs you write? From li ving, what I go through, wh;lt I pe rce ive , (i'om what I witness. Expc rien ce, lovc, loss, litc rature, &. Ii Ie!
You dropped your 1st album "Sea reality" back in 2003, I-low has music changed since then, and is it for the better o r worse? Belte r, always bette r. Every day we evolve as people, thus every d ay I evolvc as an artist. I have a nc wborn IiTedom whe n I crcate a track o r reco rd now. I trul y create mu sic I believe in & e njoy. wh ich could bc music fo r the evcryday pop consume r, to the true mu sic alicionados who truly lovcs the real powc r o f lyric &. imme rses the mselves in the c l1jo),me nt that a song can posscss. \rVhe ncvcr othcrs can relatc to m y wo rds or expe rie nces or purel y just e njoy my music, I still tr uly leel, inspircd, a pprcciativc & honored.
What brought you to making music? Destin y! Alle r 10 years deep in the game that is th e conclusio n I come 10 e very time I look around wh ile on a Ill<\jo r stage or in an immaculate studio working with legend s I grew up li ste ning to. I say wo w, how did a yo ung man li'olll Quee n Anne Hill in Seattle \ VA , e nd up ill my position ill the hip-hop g;UTIe & e ntertainme nt industry. destiny! T hough Ill)' allure to music was in tru th it th e rape utic oullel all e motion wh ich Illllsic e nabl es. Eve ryon e can relate to & be uplifted b y the sou nd or mu sic. I was 1101 o ll ly intri!"lJ cd h y this prospect but dedicated m)' futu re to huilding upon my l alc l lt & immersillg mysel rrully i l ilO the culture & lifestyle .
or
Being or Greek decent how does that bctor in to your music?
or
Greece was the origin th eale r, drama & entertainme nt. So music &. en te rtainmen t is in my hlood. Grec ks are knowil lor thcir e motions &. whc n making music I tap into that inhere nt tTai t &. lei th e real &. raw 281SAVUTDt
I$$IITlIIf(
What is your opinion on North West hip-hop as it stands today? I-li p-Hop is Language, wi th multiple translations. Hip Hop in the Northwest mu sicall y is Ilushed with tal e nt. I can a\test to thi s because fo r 8 years I owned & ran SeaRcal Studios on Sccond Ave in Downtown Seattle's Bellt own area. I was able to bring two o f Death Row's main tracking & mixing Engincc rs, who had \mrked &. mixed for the likes of Tupac Shaku r, all the way to Eminc m 's Gramm )' award winn ing record "Stan", to Sean Ie to head SeaRe d Studio. The re we wo rked & recorded man y very tale nted ind ividuals fo r years. The Nort hwest is bubbl ing & I'm digging what 's coming out of the region right now. The re is also a business sid e to Hip-Hop & to be in the mainstream o f the Hip-Hop business you have to he more thanju sl" a musician now;ldays, if you wan t to sustain and prevail. \r\fe a rc reestab lish ing the Northwest's claim in the mainstream of th e Hip Hop g<1I11C right now as wc spea k. Lf\ & Ncw Yo rk a re the cc nl e rs of the indu str y & we are out he re & out here strong, I can also allest to that.
You are definitely making some major moves, how has your music grown as you've come along? Appreciate it F.un. I have to say ex periellce. Learnillg' li'om every studio session, which has to be in Lhe thousamls, evely show, tour, track, meetillg, & collahoralion, eve ry mistake, success, all in all we grow with ex perience. If you stay relelltless, you growll to understand your crall & season you rself to manifest destiny!
You have worked with the likes of Bone Thugs-n-Hannony and Bobby Valentino, How did that come about?
II've I
Been blessed to work with so many amazlIlg talents & recognized individuals in the game for years now. I really was brought into the mainstream of the music game whcn I was 19 by Layzie Bone, Steve Lobel & Bone Thugs N Harmony, where I toured & sti ll tour & work wilh everyone on all aspects or the music business currentl y. Bobby Valentino came about whcn DefJam & DefJam South wcre working wiLh me on pushing my si ngle, " Been There" & we ente rtain ed possibilities or establishing a partnership in some respect, but I decided to pursue things independently with Sea Real Record s/ Productions. I had a track I wanted Bo bby on so we came together & made it happen .
How do you know when you have a verse, hook and a hot track? Aller 10 years of se rious recording, creating new records has truly becomc sccond nature. It still is important to highlight the word "Creating". To truly be an artist you must be creative & not worry if a tracks hot or not , you just have to cre;\ te without restraint & let your creative j uices flow. Always do the best to push yourself to better your crafi tr;Kk-totrack, lyric to lyric. Remember what's so great about music is that eve ry tra(:k made may not be everyone's taste. though if you make what you whole-heartedly believe in, you will have a hot track or hook or verse.
You have 3 albums out Searealily, The Sea Heal Way and Fruition, t:ell us what goes in to making a Dub B album, what is yo ur method to recording and what are the top 3 things yo u like to have with yo u when yo u record? Everything I got goes into each album. A reco rd can ignite hum'lI1 emotion & start movement's & that 's heavy. Lyrics we lise as altists honestly Gl ptured a piece of us that can last heyond our ordained time on earth or become a representation of what people will deJine us as into the future. So I take my musical releases very se riously. After more than 15 years of flowing, when I record .lIld a beat cat ches me, I go right into Lhe booLh, turn olT the light & just let the lyrics now. Like I said in my so ng \ IVe Fight For All, " I Close my eyes & watch how lord goes ahead & writes his rhymes." I love Music! Three things I need with me while recording, my voice, glass of ice wal.er & ;\ beautiful woman siuing on the control rooms back couch.
Ca n you elaborate on the projects you have curre ntly in the works? Man. \ IVhere to start? I'm living in Hollywood now, working on new vid eos from m)' latest & greatest release "FH UITION ". Bee n in tlle studio working on tracks for a new mix tape "Immaculate Inceptio n." & a new album slated be releascd on II / II / II. I am also working on a hip~hop golf TV & web show I co-produce & host called Above-Par. Go chec k it out @ Above-Par.com, h is be ing compa red to the life styles of the rich and 1~1I110U S/ Cribs of Golf. \ IVe are currently filming new content featuring rock legend Alice Coo pcr, N BA great Or. .lay, baseball superstar Evan Longoria, comedian Ron \'Vhite, actor Kurt Russell & So much more including my Bone Thugs bun. I am also managing some amazing writers & producers & wi ll also he taking on sorne new roles in the film world in the months to ensue. So the re's allolon the plate but that's what it's all about. .. Above-Par.com, SeaRealRecords.com, ivlr.SeaReal on Twittcr, Myspacc.com/ SeaHcai, FaceBook "Vyeth Dub B Barday. Youtube.com/ AboveParwithDubB, Youtube.coln/ SeaReal Records Stay Tuned, Northwest Stand Up, \Ve \ IVoridwide, Keep it Above-Par & Many Blessings.G SAVUTIIII
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You were born in Virginia a nd raised in California, whal brought yo u to reside in Portland, O regon? It 's a very IOllg story to my jOll rney li'om Ca li to Orego n, but the short ve rsioll is I was running track prolcss iollally <It the time and came with a group o r peo ple to train I<) r th e AllIlU.d G lsGlde Run-Olr eve llt held ill Oregon . Thinl-,'"S didn 't quil.e work out as planned, The rest YO li ca ll read abollt in m y boo k "'T he Mall Be hind The lVlusic路 ""In \'. tl leman he IIi11( II Ilem llsic .com
You are undoubledly o ne of the hardest wo rking players in No rth Wesl I-lip hop. yo ur body of work is almost endless and spans from mixtapes, to Adidas and Nike deals, to the Official DJ of the Po rtland Trail Blazers! For readers ou t there that may not know about DJ O.G. One, ca n yo u let us know how you got started as a DJ? 30lSAVllATWI ISSlEnIllE
I got start ed dec.:jaying way back when I was in m)' tee ns, with Iwo do uble cassette players ... LMAO! I've always loved music ami always had all or the Glsselles or new mllsic. So people in my ne ighborhood would always ask Ille to record mu sic on casseHe for tlu;ir parties, so it just grew li'om that to actuall y savi llg up mOlley to ge t turntables and records, then del.;jaying skate parties and hOllse parties. ' ,Vhen I G IIllC to Oregon, I <Klu<l lIy stopped de<:;,jaying Unlil I Sl'arteu working in the com munit y, then I used it as ;1 tool to Illo tivate kids to get good b'l"ldes and positive .1IIitudes lor the month.
You've been actively involved in community services programs across the country, what causes are you most passionate about? Yes. Communit y is al the core of why I do mu sic Music ha s such a draw to people, panicularly young peoplc, Illllsic has addressed bOLl! the good and bad ahout our social climate. Unfortu nately, music has ~o tten so mOllcy I()ellsed that arti sts overall ha ve
forgotten the social res ponsibility of giving back, notjust financiall y, but also in going back to the ir neighborhoods and at least setting up opportunities 10 better the life of others. I'm not a performing arti st as a singe r, rapper etc, but I see det;jaying as a way I Gill commu nicate, express and leverage influence . For me, it was more pleasing 10 be ab le to return fi'om New York, after making two appearances on BETs Rapcity and roam the hallwa ys of J ellerson High School letting youth know that they could achi eve the same goals withou t feeling like they have to compromi se their integrity or freedom by selling drugs, Gangbangi n~, disrespecting wome n ele.. "NOvV GO TO CLASS!"...That was more fulfilling than being on Rapcity within itself and artisls should do more of that, not because they have too, but because they should w(\nl too.
Can you tell us about the Bum Squad Qls and how yo u became a member? BUM SQUA D OJ CREW is an International Family, which I was introduced
oi
Ihru my fdlow l\j li-iend ' Dj Reckless' back in 2005 (I Think...Iol) It has allowed me to network wi th dj 's around the world as well as having an International Brand associated with your name. 100
How has DJ'ing for d,e Portland Trail Blazers changed yo ur life as a DJ? \ 'Vow! Deejaying for the Portland 'Trailblazers has bee n such a blessi ng and a curse .. .Iol. On one hand it has most definitely raised my market value, it has pUI me in a networking circle that is incredible , l\'e grown professionally by being a part of an N BA franchi se and it just fe els grealto play in fi'ont-of a crowd of 20k plus regularly... I'm nOlmad at th e pay & perks eithe r. O n the other hand it's a curse, beca use people automatically stop considering you f'(x (b gigs that yo u did prior 100, because they think that you cost too much, 101. I most definitely walll to get paid what I'm worth as well as res pected for what I've accomplished , but I'm still approachabl e when it comes to gigs that are not as big as the Portland Trailblazers. I have to give a huge shout of to Blaze r Pres id ent Larry Miller for taking a chance on me ...
Fans ca n often see you in the crowd at the local hip hop shows, so I assume you a of Nordl West Hip I-lop. What artists do you listen to, both loca l to Portland and Ii-om the sounding areas?
"Ill
I'm a 1~U1 or music period ... Good Music! It doesn't maHe r if it's 1i'01l1 Portland or not, I love Illusic. I have an invested interest in Porlland arti sts simply beca use there is no industry here and I want any good artist from Portland to blow up. The No rthwest has suc h incredible tale nt here and the re and many artists who are doing o utstanding work that is being recognized nationally & internationally, i.e. Espe ranza Spalding, Liv \ 路Varlield, Cool Nutz, Lifesavas, IIIM aculate and more. But we still have as of yet 10 wrap our arms around these talents and give them tile love financiall y and ve rbally as they deserve. As a dj, particularly with N\ 'V I-lip Hop, my biggest frustration is that I don', get enough mat erial fi'om arti sls ... I'd love to suppo rt it, if its good, But I'd also like to get it more. I gel literally 100's of songs on wee kly bases from m,\jor record labels who want me to play tlleir music, but I can count on one hand artists who give me mu sic in tile entire region. I'm a fan of N\ V Artists period , but I'm a bigger f;m oLutists who have their business in o rde r. .. Let's Go N\V!
You've done shows with Illany great artists and individuals', looking back, what has been most memorable fo r yo u? 'T he first time I det;jayed for Micheal J ordan, I had just torn m y Ach illes tendon the day before; I was on crutc hes, in m;,jor pain and he re's iVU making jokes about me whi le we're taking a photo... Price less moment.
I've begun reading yo ur book, The Man Behind the Music: The Life and Times of David William (o.C.oNE)Jackson Jr_ and it is a very compelling stOl)'! Ca n you give our readers a little insight into yo ur book, what made yo u want to write it, and how do yo u feel now that yo u've done so? My book was a big therapy session lor me ... A lot of people have seen me as a cb or community activist Continued
011
pg. 37
SAW UTIIII ISS.: TIE 131
Ca n you introduce yo urself 10 o ur readers? Where you're from a nd what yo u're all about? My 1I.lIne is J acoh Cro li; m}' hip-hop alias isJ C Flow. I am an indepe ndell t Northwest hip-hop artist/producer horn and rai sed in Seaule, ' VashingIon. I havc been ;Kli"c1y reco rding/performing hiphop music in thc Pacific Northwest since 1996. In laic 2009, I mad c a cOlls('ious decision 10 re-ilwest in my music for one last run al a poss ible full-time caree r in music, and I have nol stopped grinding si nce.
How long have you been creating music? I grew up in an ex trcmely Illllsic oriented f~lI n i l y . My dad was the lead singer and guitar playe r in th e Ia te-70's/e;u'ly-HO's Nort hwest Folk Hock Band, "Owl"; m)' mom sung in the Church choir thro ugh321SAVIIATWI ISSIEI1IIlE
o ut my ent ire childhood; and both m)' hrothers were trai ned Vio linists. I srarled sketchi ng o ul so ng lyrics, fiddling <lround with dillcrenl instruments, ,md recording music 011 a Casio tape recorde r as early as f2 years old .
"Vhat made yo u wa nt to pursue music as a career? In college is whe n I sl'arted looking al music as a possi hle career, simply for the 100'e of Illusic. hen I !-"T<ldualcd co llcge, I still considered tnusic a di stant pipe dream , much like becoming a professional ath lete, o r an astronaut. Back in 2003, I put out m)' first fulli engih solo album, titled "My Life", and afier shopping il to reco rd bbels with relatively no success, I gave-up 0 11 the idea o r bei ng able to make a ca ree r bu t I never Slopped out or musIC, writ ing/ record i ngl perla rill ing,
"V
It was 2 years ago th at I decided to re-in vest III my music by reco rding my lirst professional studio album "Verb Noun Vibe". In man y ways, I had bee n haunted for more than a decade with the poor sound quality of my pe rsonal home recordings, and I feIt I had to make the investme nt ill myself and my music or I would have always had reh'Tets. It ha s on ly been in the past 6 months, with my recent successes with a lew music lice nsing song place ments, and some positi ve local and national ex posu re, where I seriously considered mu sic a viable career optio n again.
Hegarding music what influences you the most? I am an ex tremely emotio nal , passionate, and complex human being. I use music as an emotio nal and creative outlet to interpret what I am experienci ng and leeling in the world. I am not trying to be overly deep; I just know that I would most likely self-destruct wi thout music as an ou tlet in my lile. ivl y ultimate goal with Illy Illusic is to inspire other people. I want to write "that song" that someone turns to when th ey want to fe el inspired, motivated, or moved.
How would you describe yo ur style and what is your role with Future Fuzz? Many times I hear people describe my musIc as "Synth heavy, with catchy hooks, and dri ving baslines, and powerful lyrics". BUlto be honest, I have a very dillicuh time describing an y spec ific hip-hop musical style that defines my sound. I have spen t a great deal of time over the last 2 years studying, writing and recording many diflerent styles of hip-hop, lI'om what I would conside r true und erground hiphop, to largeted commercial mainstrea m hip-hop, to dance/ pop-ho p styles as well. Yo u will hear elements of each of these styles o n Illy recent album "Verb Noun Ville", as well in the 6 new si ngles that I've released dlus far in 20 I 1. Future Fuzz, my latest [P, was a targeted music expe rime nt. The goal of Future Fuzz was to create DUI3路STEI'/ DA NCI,/I'O P remixes of 6 tracks oil' my "Verb Noun Vibe" album, in o rd er to target a large r music ;'Iudi ence, specifically Electron i(' music fan s, bo th natio nall y and through-out Europe and Asia. I worked with Seattle Produce r T eal Douville, who had recenLiy produced a silllilar prqject fo r Seattle Hip-Hop ;1I1:ist Eighty4Fly.
"Vhat has been yo ur experience as an independent a rtist from the No rth West? In my ex periences, I have found that at a Natio nal level, it really doesn't matt er "\ 'Vhere I'm fi'om". The f ~lct is that when I am submitting my tracks for radio pl,IY, o r music licensing deals, o r label production deal s, being frolll Seattle, \ ,V has z.ero influe nce on whether or no t my songs are sele('ted. The only things that are being considered arc the song itself and the prod ucti on/ re('ording quality of the track. \'Vhe re Ileel being fi'OI11 th e Northwest co mes in to play, is in the North\\'est. This is where in my ex perie nce it becomes much more about whom you know and your local musi(' net,vorking connection s, r;'l tller tllan simply the quality of your music or your music resume.
How would you describe your fan base, and where do yo u receive the mOst support? My f ~1Il base is very di ve rse, and in mallY \vays un-centralizcd. If you loo k at my 1;11\ counts/downloads/album sales by region, you will sec relatively eve n perccntages across "Vashington, California , Georgia, New York, and Florida. I also have a growing f;m base in Ge rmany, Australia and in parts of Asia. In lllallY ways, I feel the Northwest is still catching-up to me as an artist, mostJy because I made a conscious decisio n with "Verb Non Vibe" to not onl y record a "commercial sound", but also to market mysel f as a Natio nal arti st, and not as a Local artist. In m y more recent singles, "Keys To The City" and "Be A Star" featuring Northwest Hip-H o p elit.es, Spac3mall, Neema, and Q DOl, you will hear mallY more refe rences to th e Seallie and th e Northwest, as one of my goal s with my nexl album "Identity C risis" is to make a greater mark in the Northwest Music scene.
What do yo u feel are the strongest aspects of the Northwest hip hop scene? I think one of the greatest strengths ofth e Northwest hi p-hop s('ene is the dive rsity of iI's musical styles and sou nd s. I consider the Northwest the true-melting pot of hip-hop in the N;'l tio n. You will hear elemen ts of underground-east coast story te lling tracks infused with late 90's inspired west-coast 1l<lvored bangers, Continued on pg. 37
SAV NATlON:BARS&BEATS Cinemetropolis Blue Scholars (Ju s Family)
S<.:auk hascd Blue Sc holars arc at it aga in with the ir third filii le ngth a lhum C inc IlH: lrol)olis: a Visll"] SOlIIHilrack. Based o n lhc pre lllise o f how film influences Ollr lives and o ur music, this rc kasc dcli,'c rs mixture o f sot:ial <.:Olllmentary, classic hip ho p, and good 0[' Bar-B-Qllc lll usic! Consisting of Lyri-
cist Ceo and producer SaiJzi, BilK SdlOlars hav<.: been
al
the lo rdi'o ll l of
Scauic hip hop for quil e some lime , and those o f you who arc already [ullcd then you already know what to expect li'om the duo . In line with the ir previous releases, including the E P's , C inclllc lropol is is and is huilt on solid bealS and prod uction that blend s old and new s Ollnd s into a seamless COI11posilion! \ ,Vhile much of Cinellletropol is con sist of a social and po li tical co ntext, Blue Scholars have mastered the art o f d is6'l Ji sing sociall y conscience hip ho p as fcel good mu sic. Stand out tracks incl ude the ti tle track ;'Cillem Cl ropoli s", & "T o lllm y Chong" - a hip ho p educatio n on rvlaryJ ane . Buy
No Time To Waste youngDami
H ere we have N E\ '" SCHOOL GR IN DA which in troduces YO UN G DAMI on hi s miss ion. He g:oes hard Ii'om stal1 to linish. On NORTH路 \ -V EST AREA he reps the town hard , one to make us proud. J UST LIKE THAT he ellts loose and shows his comed ic side wi th lines like "She g:ot a beer bell y, why she trying: to copy me man ?" I GO gives us a g:limpse at DA~lI' s hustler aspiratio ns. LET ME BE FT: TONE G AN D BOSSKI NG
mUM.", ItOVE~BER 3M, 7:30PI1I-ll :OOPJIl
34 jSlVUTIIII ISSUlTll[(
T BABY he chops the verses accompan ied by a catchy hook, MAKE A KILLI N he goes in taking no pri soners, O n the Title track NO T IM E TO WASTE 1' 1': A RJ AY we hear DAMI gets personal, this track is most definitel y my Elm rit e, SHE CH ANGED UP H: TONE G AN D CRAZ INESS .6rives us a talc of how peo ple can chan.6'C hased on what they think thcycan get from you, U P IN DA CLU ll H: DREVY A N D RO ULET'TE DELGATO is a club slap for the part y goers, LAST N IGHT OF MY LIFE o ile rs the statement that live like this is the last night of m y lile , SHOW ME TI-IE WAY Fr: ABDUEL I-IALL is reminiscent of Bigl,rie's Ju icyan inspirational track that should be a ppreciated. YO U GOT IT is a message to some bod y, who ? I don't know but it carries weight. H ANG IN FT: TONE G A ND CRAZ I NESS shows emotio ns that I th ink most rappers can relate too , MO ND AY TO S UNDA Y is a hustler's an them, OUT HERE LIVI N pro\'es the hustle co ntinues in a highly cutth roat manner. STA Y STRO NG is a \'ery insp irational track fo r the day to day .6路Tind ers whethe r it's a 9 to 5 or the .6'Tind, URGENT 1' 1': KNOX CALH O UN is a sa\'age approach to an o ld school heat. \<\f ILD BOYZ is an outs ide the hox track where we lind DAMI chops non stop .
Ok let me start oil hy saying, yes Luck One is on top of his gallie right now! H e's o ne ofth c llIost mcntioncd artists coming from Portland , but damn , we can hear that thc tracks arc tight ; we do n't nccd to be told cvery other track! Ok now to thc rcview, Luck One d el ive rs morc than most in the game right now, in a hip ho p culturc that focuses morc on th c hcat , Luck O nc defini tely o utshines his beats o n this prerelease , and f<)rgi\'e mc f<) r re pcating a cl ichi: , if Luck Onc passcd on these tracks, then you can o nly reason that his full Icn,.,1.h alhum must be beyond firc, and don 't takc o ur word fo r it, just listen to the EP! Ha , No jokc, tho ught Luck One kills it. You want good I-lip hop, go do wnload this relcase and thcn go Google Luck One! PDX stand up!
,I
Download
Speed & PatroR Billy Patron & Speedy the Artist
Download
Tha Nodhwest Street Volume I Various Th'UlortilwcsLcom
Buy
True Theory Outtakes Luck One
wcst Strect Vo lumc Onc is thc hlrt hest thing from that , full of hard hitting tracks and on point vocals, there wasn't o ne track on thcre that made me q uestio n it, II' you are looking fo r great download , than this is it! Stand out tracks include, # 18 Alaska Redd , Ft Dcvin T hc Dudc and # 12 Shao Sosa Ft. Arlav! H cad O vcr to T ha Nortlmcst.com to get your co py now!
COlllpl icd and relcase by the by the guys hchind ThaNorthwest.colll , Tha Northwest St rect Vo lumc Onc is o nc of the hcst Mi xtapes rc presenting thc North \ ,Vcst o uttherc right no w. Many tilBes mixlapes of th is natllrc tc nd to Eill a lill ie nat , and COIllC across as a Illcdiocre selection of tracks, all piled togcther to hack up the Illainstreall'l plugs and drops. H owcver, Tha No rth-
\ 路Vashin!.'1on State's Billy Patron & Speed y the arlist is a brief in troduction to the arli st's mu sic. \,yh ile mo re a free EP th;m a mi x!ape, the tracks do deli\"er a \'CI) ' \l'ell prese nted package, and with the tille of the EP and the artist's names YO li may ex pcct a li ule mo re o r a Cheech and Chong rake on H ip Hop, hut what you get Speed and Patron al their fin est. Throughout all live tracks it is apparcnt that Billy Patron and Speedy took their time and focll scd on creating a solid release. Thi s EQ is ;\ defini te fc.) r all you liending ro r some good North \,yest Music! Download
SAVUTDI ISSI:TIIIll I ~5
SAV
NATlON:BARS&BEATS
Ghost Click - The Brain Storm GhostClick
that follows. C RICKETZ is a flip o n the po pular heat , goi ng hard and kee ping it raw they c..:ho Jl this track to piec..:es, he ller the n the oril"rinal in Illy opinion,
Tha YaHow Tapa P. WashingtDn
Download
Miss Casay Cartar Radio
Vol. I Various GHOST CLI CK is hack at it with their lal cst prQjcu T I-IE BRAI NSTORM. Thi s llIi xlapc is m ost dclinilciy a lyricisb d ream. Bars g <:1 cho pped 011 this 011(;, ill Ihe opening I nlro \1'1.: hear samples o flhcsc lyricists ;.hilit}' 10 illleiligt:nlly nip the ir wordplay. Track 2 Cllliilcd NU FF SA ID goes hard wil a gri m}' heal alld rugged lyrics. O N EVERYTl-IA NG telb a laic or their c Olllid c llCC and oul look 0 11 this r;l p gallic. 011 STILL N ICE they continue 10 SlIllc)Gtl e the com pe ti tion w ilh hard bealS ;\Il(i killer rl lynlcs . !'M ILL \)o<\sIS the ( Il l Ihroat style ofCI-IOST CLICK. \路V H AT'S THE ODDS is a Slal CIllCll1 Iii", says 110 oll e G ill [onch thi s le ;ulI .
On LAST CALL \l'C gel a glimpse or how they do it ill Ihe duh, wilh a raw he l[ [0 complimcnl. GET READY is a tr;lCk 4 thc hustlers dclillitely a favorite. On LA UG I-II N they clown thcir hatc rs a nd Ic t the ind ustry kllow GHOST C LI C K is hc re. UP IN T HI S I-lOUSE is a grilllY part y anthcm huilt 4 thc strcets. SMOKE SOMETH IN is a smoker's anthc m , with a producti\'c high [ypc o f vihe. T IPPY TOES is a stripper's anthcm and a freaky tale of [he pursuit of a hcau[ilill womall, I'M H UN GRY is a song ahout hc ing j usl Ihal H UN GRY, whe n you get [0 the point of Ilc illg sick of starvillg ;II](IIIIC attill l(le b OllllCY yet
36 1SlVUTIIII ISSUlTll[(
Mi ss Cascy Carter Ihd io Vo l. One ca me to mc unc xpectedl y and a[ lirst gla nce I was almost ready to toss i[ inlo [he Eh pi le, hut luckily, il made its way onto m y ipod. For eve ryonc that has yet to m eet Miss Casey Caner, head ovcr to misscaseYGu1 e r, co m 10 chcc k out he r hlog, and Miss Carte r delill itdy did he r homcwork whe n she dccided [0 compile this mi x! Packe d with grcat North \ 'Vest's arlists, b'Teat production and a n overall great listen , A great sampling of what is go ing on up in Scali Ie, so head o\'er [0 th;morthwesl. colll and cop yourself a copy! I Gill honestl y say that thi s will he OIiC of [hc lew mi x ta pcs that stay on m }' it lilies!
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\Ve o pe n wi lh THA \ 'VA Y where hc wastes no time go ing ha rd on fo lks. ASTO N MARTIN MUSIC is his takc o n the Itick Ross track. INKRED IB LE is a grimy track with a raw appeal. LIGHTS O UT he goes in on his e nemies with no hold ing back. DAN GER Z O N E givcs us a look al what THE YELLO\'V TAPE reall y m eans. GR IPPI N GRA IN t'akes us o n a trip do ing jllstt hat , lcan bac k and di p to thi s one. FUG IT IVE he comes ruggcdwi th a sto ry ahollt incarceration and slm'ery and how they comparc. RUSS IAN RO U LET'TE is a spin on the Rihanna track, where we can ICd the rappe rs c motio ns. P UT IT I N is by blr a st'a nd out track. One o f m y I;\\'orites on Ihis pn~jec l. STILL \"'ON T linds him taking a stancc and stating that he will not change , anothe r El\路OJ路it c the c motio n put in to this track shows. XYZ'S we lind him running through the alphabe t to get his point across . H USTLE TIME is a strong present'ation o r a hustler's devotio n to Ihe gamc. MAFIA M UZIK o ile rs up a look into thi s artist 's pe rsonal lile. HEAVEN & H ELL he c ho ps the trac k fro m sta rt to linish proving that P. \ 'VASH INGTO N has arrived.
Download
JC Flow Continued from ... pg. 33 and more . I think the key lor National success of the North west hip-hop arti sts will be through arti st unilication. I think the Nort hwest ;lItists in many ways have hee n competing aga inst each-other lor so Illany years that it has stil1ed th e possible national exposu re of ou r region talent. The more we support each other, the more successfu l we willultimatdy beco me as National and G lobal hip-hop recording artists.
''''hat: do you have in the works, what projecfs do you curren tly have available, and where can our readers go to learn more abouUC Flow? I am curren tly working on my 3rd full length alhum; titl ed "Identity Crisis", wh ich is scheduled lix release on September 23 rd 201 1. You can d ownload my music, keep-up to dat e with all my upcoming releases, SIIO\\'S, ECT. VI,I ReverilNation (\V\v\\'.reverbnation.com/ jdlO\v) or via Face hook (\ V\ V\ \'.1;\Cc hOt lk. com/ jc 11 0\ \'2(1)
Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers? Please know that I am a very accessible artist, so please Icelll'ee to reach-out to me with any questions, Iced back, collaborations, oppOltunities, ECr. Via e mail (jdlowmusic@gmail.com) IltI
DJ. OC ONE Continued frotn ... pg. 31 and th e success I've had , but don't reall y understand where I've come 11'0111. A lo t think that lilc has bee n easy for Ille or think that my positivity comes /i'om not havi ng challenges. This book wi ll show quite the opposite. The book, since its release has caused a lo t of controve rsy, anger and tears, but it was abou t me free ing myself as well as allowing the world to rea lly see who I am. Most im portan t it was also for the purpose of giving hope to people who have had tragic th ings happen ill thei r lives to see that it's a conscious choice to allow your ci rcumstances to dictate your outcomes o r you choose what your outcomes will be.
What does the remainder of 2011 have in store for OJ. O.C One? Other th an continu ing to strc ll&>then the networking relation ships I've had , I've become an Int ern ational '"T'eleco mlllunication/ Util iti es broker as \vel l as launching' Illy own men toring proh'Tam called R.A.P.P. (Rol e-model s, Applying, Positive, Pee rpress ure). Co nstantly elevating ti le g'a me ...
What bits of advice would yo u give to the younger generations when it comes to Dj'ing and being involved in the music industry? Real Success doesn't come without knowing the im porl';uKe o f Integrity, Truth, Respect and Faith ... The re are a 101 of people that look like they're successful, Imt are miser,lllle Ilum an beings, beGluse they've focused just 011 acquiring Illoney, hut lacked those key c lement s and now that they have money, they see that it does n't bring true happi ness or res pect... "You have to be wi lli ng to give, before you . " receive
SAV OTD
~ TIllIE 137
ONLINE DIGITAL HIP HOP MAGAZINE
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SllVNA'I'ION!
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