Sam Jones Portfolio by Sam Jones

+447530689526

sayhellotosamjones@gmail.com

designbysam.co.uk

unicef paris ongoing work with unicef in paris, producing posters for shop windows

002

slabs brasserie production of logo and icons for a brasserie in london.

004

branding projects various logos produced for several clients.

006

cigarette packaging imaginative packaging for cigarettes with an emphasis on the health risks.

008

wedding invitations creative concept for the invitation to a friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wedding ceremony.

012

good brew company branding, packaging and menu design for a new tea shop in manchester.

014

flux magazine take creative control of flux magazine for its latest issue.

020

emceeinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; two issues of a magazine I have created on the subject of hip hop music.

024

pub guides designs for a series of guide books about pubs in great britain.

032

bang! experimental projects which must relate to the word bang!

036

typefaces a look at a typeface i have created and an edit of montserrat used in self-branding

042

unicef paris

poster, icon design freelance 2013

002

unicef paris

ATELIERS FRIMOUSSES DU MONDE Ouverts aux adultes tous les mardis de 14h à 17h MERCREDIS DES FRIMOUSSES Ouverts aux enfants à partir de 5 ans, tous les derniers mercredis du mois de 14h à 16h

Posters in the window of UNICEF’s shop on Rue St. Lazare, Paris.

ANIMATIONS POUR ENFANTS ET ADULTES autour des grandes causes défendues par l’UNICEF : Droits de l’enfant Journée de l’eau Le travail des enfants

003

slabs brasserie branding, icon design freelance, competition 2013

004

slabs brasserie

005

branding projects logo, typography freelance, competition 2011-2013

006

branding projects

blood sweat & tears tattoo studio

eighty-one oldham street, manchester, mfour

onelw

007

cigarette packaging packaging, experimental self-initiated, university 2012

008

cigarette packaging

009

cigarette packaging

010

cigarette packaging

011

wedding invitations conceptual, experimental freelance, personal 2012

012

wedding invitations

013

good brew company branding, packaging self-initiated, university

014

E T H

N y

2012

OO M D B R W CO E

good brew company

100% NATURAL. MADE FROM THE BEST, FRESHEST TEA LEAVES AND NOTHING ELSE.

E T H

N y

forty

OO M D B R W CO E

PROPER BREW TEA BAGs It’s the drink that warms you up, calms you down and makes every occasion better. a proper brew.

TO ENJOY A BREW AT IT’S BEST, USE ONE TEA BAG PER CUP, ADD FRESHLY BOILED WATER AND ALLOW TO INFUSE TO YOUR PREFERRED STRENGTH. AND THERE YOU HAVE IT; A GOOD BREW. COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? CALL 0800 432739, OR VISIT: WWW.THEGOODBREWCOMPANY.CO.UK FOR BEST BEFORE END, SEE BASE OF PACK. STORE IN A COOL, DRY PLACE.

100% NATURAL. MADE FROM THE BEST, FRESHEST TEA LEAVES AND NOTHING ELSE.

E T H

N y

forty

OO M D B R W CO E

BREAKFAST TEA BAGs THIS TEA ISN’T JUST FOR THE MORNING. BRIGHT, FULL-BODIED AND FULL OF FLAVOUR, BREAKFAST IS PERFECT FOR CLEARING AWAY YOUR COBWEBS AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY.

015

good brew company

THE GOOD BREW COMPANY STARTED AS A SIMPLE STALL IN PICCADILLY GARDENS, MANCHESTER SELLING A GREAT CUP OF TEA AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE TO PEOPLE WORKING IN AND VISITING OUR GREAT CITY. AFTER A FEW YEARS OF HARD GRAFT IN THE RAIN, SLEET AND SNOW WE HAVE DEVELOPED A SERIES OF NEW FLAVOURS AND SECURED A PERMANENT LOCATION ON OLDHAM STREET TO SUPPLY MANCUNIANS WITH OUR WONDERFUL TEAS. WE HAVE ALSO PRODUCED SEVERAL TEA BASED COCKTAILS, HAVE A TRY OF THE AMAZING FLAVOURS FROM OUR 20 ALCOHOLIC BREWS AVAILABLE FROM 1PM EACH DAY UNTIL CLOSE. LATE LICENSING ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY MEANS WE ARE OPEN TIL 11PM WITH THE BEST LIVE MUSIC EACH NIGHT TO ACCOMPANY YOUR BREWS.

016

BREAKFAST

GREEN TEA

white tea

REDBUSH

perfect for clearing awaY your cobwebs at any time of day. TRULY REVITALISING.

a cup of OUR green tea will brighten up even the greyest of afternoons.

Its light and delicate flavour will give you a taste of luxury whenever you need it.

The african sun gives the tea its juicy, refreshing flavour & copper-red colour.

EARL GREY

LADY GREY

SUNSHINE GREY

ASSAM

if you feel like leaving life on pause, escape WITH A CUP OF EARL GREY.

THE LIGHT AND DELICATE TASTE OF BERGAMOT WITH ADDED HINTS OF ORANGES AND LEMONS.

EARL GREY WITH LEMON, A LIVELY, FRESH FLAVOUR THAT INSPIRE A RISE N SHINE FEELING.

A STRONG INDIAN TEA WITH A RICH MALTY CHARACTER, PERFECT FOR ALL TIMES OF DAY.

good brew company

CRANGE

summer berry

ORANGE& COCONUT

VANILLA

green tea tokyo

hot tea grog

IRISH TEA

JAEGER TEA

A BLEND OF THE SWEET ORANGES OF SPAIN WITH THE SHARP TANG OF CRANBERRIES.

A DELICIOUS MIXTURE OF mouth-watering summer berries. escape the rain!

intensE. THIS Infusion delivers a sharp tang of orange WITH the creaminess of coconut.

A REMARKABLE AND DELICIOUS INFUSION MADE FROM OUR ASSAM TEA WITH VANILLA.

A minty green tea beverage, with honey and a few splashes of white rum.

an exotic-tasting cocktail with spicy tea, cloves, dark rum and cognac.

There's Irish coffee, so why not Irish tea? freshly brewed tea and a shot OF whiskey.

A LOVELY COMBINATION OF SCHNAPPS, RUM AND ORANGE JUICE COMPLIMENT OUR TEA.

ROSEHIP &HIBISCUS

GRANNY SMITH

comice PEAR

PEACH

TEA FROG

GREEN MARTEANI

CAPTAIN GREY

ROYAL TEA

FLATTERING FLAVOURS brought together to deliver a perfectly balanced fruity taste.

A refreshing infusion WITH THE fruity sweet flavour of A GRANNY SMITH’S apple.

A DELICIOUS INFUSION WITH a great fruity aroma and flavoUR OF OUR FAVOURITE PEAR.

Fragrant and fruity, our blend captures the warmth of a sun-drenched DAY.

A GOOD CUP OF TEA WITH A COUPLE OF SHOTS OF GIN AND A SPLASH OF LEMON JUICE.

CITRUS VODKA, GREEN TEA, FRESH GINGER, A PIECE OF CUCUMBER AND A DASH OF LEMON

HOT EARL GREY WITH 2 MEASURES OF CAPTAIN MORGAN’S RUM, FRESH LEMON AND HONEY.

CHILLED EARL GREY TEA WITH A DROP OF GIN & A SQUEEZE OF LEMON. A GREAT, CLEAN TASTE.

COSMO

VERY BERRY TEA

PURE BREW

FUZZTEA NAVAL

OUR RASPBERRY TEA INFUSED WITH VODKA, TRIPLE SEC, WITH LIME AND CRANBERRY JUICE.

SHOTS OF RASPBERRY INFUSED VODKA, POMEGRANATE LIQUOR WITH CRANBERRY JUICE.

OUR PROPER BREW FLAVOURED VODKA WITH A SIMPLE TWIST OF FRESH LEMON.

TWO SHOTS OF PEACH FLAVOURED VODKA TOPPED UP WITH A LOAD OF ORANGE JUICE.

MOJTEATO

TEA TAPPER

HONEY POT

BLACK WIDOW

OUR MINT FLAVOURED TEA VODKA, LEMONADE, LIME JUICE SERVED WITH MINT LEAVES.

TWO SHOTS OF PROPER BREW VODKA, A SHOT OF LIMONCELLO, TOPPED UP WITH A HOT BREW.

TWO SHOTS OF PROPER BREW VODKA, ONE OF HONEY LIQUEUR, FRESH LEMON AND A HOT BREW.

THREE SHOTS OF OUR PROPER BREW VODKA, WITH LEMONADE AND BLACKBERRY LIQUEUR.

017

good brew company

018

good brew company

019

flux magazine publication, editing university 2011

PINA BAUSCH

FEDERICO FELLINI

PHILIP GLASS

ANN DEMEULEMEESTER

ANTONI TAPIES

Flux: Spring 2011 £4.99

020

Flux: Spring 2011 £4.99

flux magazine

FLUX: Belgium wasn’t known for its fashion designers until the mid’80s when you, Martin Margiela, and your other classmates from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp came along. ANN: We started from zero, so nobody was expecting anything from us. But we were all very ambitious and had a kind

ANN DEMEULEMEESTER

to show the world that Belgium even had designers was to create something

BELGIUM’S QUEEN OF DARKNESS WORDS: JEF RIAN

F: Classicism implies a certain balance and order. Everything is proportional. Your work adds another dimension. A: I want to cut nonchalance into my clothes. To do that, you have to work with balance. For example, a you’ve put things in it. Clothes will eventually take the shape of your body — a favorite coat will have a completely

F: Was there a particular moment when who you are and what you do came together?

many possibilities for us — it’s more

Because I’m a hopeful person, I hope I can create many of those moments. Any time you have a great idea is a good moment. I’m very grateful for all the good moments I’ve had and for the people around me, the love in my life. But I never say, “Okay, I did it, it’s

F: You started your men’s line in 1996. What was the impetus? A: My husband and male friends were begging me. I said, “Okay, I’ll do a small wardrobe.” I didn’t want to add another collection. But I showed it, and it sold — apparently there was a

F: I imagine that designing clothes

husband’s body in mind. I’m not in a girl’s club. I always work with my husband.

garments are alive is a big inspiration. I F: As a student, were you looking at Comme des Garçons and agnès b.? A: It was more like Mugler, Montana, and Versace. Punk had just started in London. Because Belgium is right in the middle of Europe, we felt its

Ann Demeulemeester was born in Belgium, and graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in Antwerp in 1981, along with contemporaries Dries Van Noten and Walter Van Beirendonck. Known as the “Antwerp Six”, this group of

I was so inspired by punk — it made me feel revolutionary and strong.

the map for innovative design. Demeulemeester launched her own label in 1985 and showcased her womenswear collection in Paris in 1992 and menswear in 1996.

that happen when you’re seventeen or eighteen really shape you.

Renowned for her independent style and impeccable architectural construction, Demeulemeester has consolidated her name as one of Europe’s leading contemporary designers.

F: How was that received by your teachers? A: I wanted to revolt against school. I had a teacher at the Academy who loved classic Chanel. She tried to teach me how to make clothes like that. But I didn’t want to make Chanel clothes, you know?

for visually simple lines which hide complex and masterful detailing. Understated to the eye, each design acts as a voice for Demeulemeester’s artistic vision, exploring in depth the complexities of clothing.

on that for a long time through the cut, the fabrics, and the treatments. I want to create the shape of your arm in the sleeve of the jacket.

designing for women. A: Yes and no. I follow the same rules, and I’m interested in the same look. But

F: Did you develop this approach when you were in school? A: No. You don’t learn everything there. [laughs] At school, I had to learn technique and make historical costumes. But I happened to be part of a particularly ambitious class — why we were all there at the same moment, I’ll never know.

And women are used to being more playful with their clothes. It’s okay for a woman to wear a man’s suit and tie. But if a man came in here wearing a skirt and a fancy blouse, we would all laugh. As a woman, I can choose which

We all worked like crazy, but we all

F: And what about their lives? A: Men are not into a lot of role-

F: Is he a designer? A: Originally he was a photographer. We were teenage sweethearts — we’ve been together since I was seventeen. Growing up together, we have

everything in common. When I started out as a designer, he was working as a photographer. At a certain point we felt that if we both followed our own creative directions, it would separate us. As a creative person, he could have devoted himself to photography, painting, or design. But he said, “You need help, so I’ll stop what I’m doing concentrate on the same thing.” He felt that as long as he could tell his story, he would be happy. F: So he has always given you feedback on your men’s clothes? A: Absolutely. It’s very important

beautiful,” and he’ll say, “I feel wrong in this.” So we start again, until I arrive at an idea that feels right to him. »

their clothes, which I appreciate.

We fought a lot. If I loved punk, and another designer was into disco — that

monochrome hues, Ann Demeulemeester’s collection at CoutureLab is one of timeless elegance. »

13 12

pictures, and I got to work. I printed this horse image on silk with an inkjet printer. F: Do you ever travel for inspiration? A: I don’t travel. F: So your clothes only draw on your life in Belgium? A: No. I make clothes for the whole world! I sell a lot of clothes everywhere! [laughs]

F: You work a lot with textiles and fabric treatments. I saw some fabrics in your showroom with photographs of horses printed on them. A: I’ve loved horses since I was a child. A few months ago, I was thinking about doing something with horses, but not the typical thing. I wanted to catch their beauty, the shiny strength of their skin. I knew I needed a photo that would capture that quality. So I started doing research, and I came upon Steven Klein’s work. One of his photos had the shine, the muscles, and the veins that I was looking for. F: Kind of like your clothes. A: Yeah. So I phoned him, told him my idea, and asked if I could use his photo. I told him, “Your picture expresses what I want to express.” He sent me

F: Yes. But, your fans in Tahiti aren’t going to wear your signature heavy leather boots. A: Maybe not. But the fashion seasons clothes come into the shops in January. I should put boots in my summer collection — people would buy them because they’d come out in the wintertime.

who will end up wearing my clothes. It’s like creating a present for an anonymous person. F: Is that why you don’t use logos? can never be more important than the people themselves.

F: You love black and white. Do you ever have the urge to throw in a dash of, say, yellow? A: Probably not. But never say never, eh? I ask a lot of questions when I’m designing. What do people want? What can I add that isn’t there? I’m a very serious person. I don’t want people to look ridiculous. I want them to be beautiful and human, not like dressed-up dogs. F: Actors work in ensembles and musicians usually play together. But writers work alone, holed up in their homes being a writer — that it’s very private. A: In my case at least. I don’t go to parties or lead a very glamorous life. I’m always working, studying, and searching.

our national character that is quite unpretentious. We’re sincere, even

is not an easy thing for me. I don’t know how long I will go on doing this, because I can only do it very well or not at all.

my clothes. I think a designer’s background and culture are expressed in an uncontrolled way. I don’t have a choice about it, it just comes out.

F: You’ve being doing it for a long time. A: Yes, but I’ve never planned ahead. I just go from one season to the next. If I ever feel like I’ve told my story in this medium, it’ll be time to move on to another.

life after death

F: Is there a particular type of person who wears your clothes? A: I really follow my heart when I make a collection — I’m not designing for a type. People can mix and match and

F: Do you think that being Belgian has something to do with how honest and straightforward your clothes are?

The work of the German choreographer Pina Bausch, had a controversial, often violent starkness.

PINA BAUSCH Nonetheless, as director of her own company in Wuppertal, south of the Ruhr industrial region, she inspired a devoted following at home and abroad,

WORDS: JOHN SMITH IMAGES: SAM JONES 30

021

flux magazine

Bausch began dancing at a young age. She was born in Solingen, the “city of blades”, in North-Rhine Westphalia, the third child of August Bausch, proprietor of a small hotel and restaurant, and his wife, Anita. With her parents absorbed in business matters, the young Pina learned to entertain herself, sitting up late under the restaurant tables, or mounting impromptu dances for the amusement of the clientele.

notice, and by 14 she was enrolled in the Folkwang Academy choreographer, who in 1933 had been forced to leave Germany when he refused to dismiss the Jews in his company, became a mentor to Bausch. He was one of the founders of the ausdruckstanz (free dance) movement, whose proponents believed in combining dance, music and drama in performance. His pupil, in consequence, was exposed to a wide variety of artistic disciplines. “At this time at the Folkwang, all the arts were together,” Bausch told the Guardian in 2002. “It was not just the performing arts like music or acting or mime or dance, but there were also painters, sculptors, designers, photographer. If you just went to a little ballet school, the experience would

A period of more or less conventional choreography followed, culminating in Frühlingsopfer, a magisterial three-part

the Juilliard School in New York. At just 18 she was daunted by the experience - “She was very shy and cried a lot,” according to her friend the choreographer Donya Feuer - but it was the right place and the right time: her teachers at Juilliard would include Antony Tudor and José Limón, both of them choreographers with a distinctive, questioning voice. Bausch was soon performing with Tudor at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and with Paul Taylor at New American Ballet. When in 1960 Taylor was invited to premiere a new work named Tablet in Spoleto, Italy, he took Bausch with him.

piece, performed on a layer of garden mulch, the narrative is transformed into a fable of superstition and misogyny in the sexual hatred of those around her. By the end, the cast of intent, Frühlingsopfer was unequivocal, and it was swiftly Seven Deadly Sins, featuring a detailed scene of gang rape. In 1977, Bausch presented her version of Bluebeard, which introduced the fractured style of her mature work. She introduced chaotic speech elements, with the dancers calling out seemingly random phrases as Bluebeard stumped around a stage strewn with dead leaves, playing snatches of Bartók

But it was with Feuer and a choreographer named Paul Sanasardo that Bausch truly revealed her potential. In 1961, said Sanasardo. “She was an extremely beautiful dancer. Tudor had staged this piece at Juilliard in which Pina danced a section called 500 Arabesques, and she did it on point ... She was very lyrical and she also had a tremendous intensity.” In 1962, following weight loss which may have been related to an eating disorder, Bausch returned to Essen, where she joined she performed the role of Caroline in Tudor’s psychological masterwork Jardin aux Lilas (1936), about a woman on dismissal, she put on weight, recovered her health, and was soon acting as Jooss’s assistant. In 1968 she created her own

Tanzstudio, as it was by then known, a position she would

be followed by other short pieces, all of them rejections of ausdruckstanz. Bausch was looking for her own language. “I didn’t want to imitate anybody,” she said. “Any movement I knew, I didn’t want to use.”

Ballett der Wuppertaler Bühnen. Overcoming initial reservations - Wuppertal was an unlovely town with a reputation for conservatism - Bausch accepted the post. Renaming the company Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch,

a move which gives a clue as to the steeliness of her intent, Bausch launched herself with a piece named Fritz, which, by all accounts, was surreally bleak even by the standards she herself would later set. Noting the audience’s negative reaction, Bausch drew in her claws. »

Pina Lives On

Bluebeard was followed by a series of pieces whose sexually violent themes took the company close to implosion. “In one rehearsal, all the men in the company had to do six ways of groping you and kissing you and it was just like being

Words: Rowland Marsh

dancer Meryl Tankard, who joined the company in 1978. Painful as the process might have been, the results saw the such as Cafe Müller (1978), perhaps inspired in part by those childhood games under her parents’ restaurant tables, may be bleak, but they are also profound and beautiful, and

designer and life partner. Bausch honoured him with a wistful piece, named simply 1980, which many consider her most approachable work. Later that year she met a Chilean professor named Ronald Kay, and in 1981 the couple had catalysed a growing optimism in Bausch’s work, and works such as Danzon (1995) and Masurca Fogo (1998) are by Bauschian standards delirious celebrations of life. Perhaps the archetypal Bausch piece is Nelken, created the carnations, through which a near-naked woman wanders, playing an accordion. It is one of the most beautiful images in the dance canon, and if there are security guards with snarling alsatians patrolling the back of the stage, Bausch never promised that everything in the garden was lovely.

which again featured a rape, includes sequences in which violent gestures are repeated to the point where they become all but unwatchable, suggesting the characters’ profound alienation. A number of her works contain such tableaux, prompting the New Yorker critic Arlene Croce to condemn what she called Bausch’s “theatre of dejection”. “She keeps referring us to the act of brutality or humiliation - to the pornography of pain,” wrote Croce when the Wuppertal company played the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1984. »

{reborn}

tribute to Pina’s creations and visions and let those who she nurtured, inspired and broke free from the mould speak in dance. The members of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Troupe play out sections of Bausch’s famous pieces, including Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) and Café Muller, as well as presenting their own solo performances.

As a long-term fan of Pina’s work, Wenders took significant inspiration from her notions of unbridled and unabashed movement. He wanted to transport her boundary-breaking movements to the big screen and the two got together and a project was conceived. Tragically, just days before filming began, Pina died. She had been diagnosed with cancer less than a week prior to her death.

Wenders wanted Bausch to be with him every step of the way, guiding him and the viewer through every element of her vision of dance and her shows. He said he imagined the documentary as a “road movie” following the performers on tour, trying to get a close-up view of the raw energy of modern dance – and Bausch herself – like never before. In the film Wenders finally finished, he captured this by delivering a stunning 3D dance experience and showing how the Pina’s philosophy is personified in every dancer she has taught and that we see on screen. »

After much deliberation and discussions with the dancers and Bausch’s family, Wenders decided that rather than let the whole project dissipate, he would reinvent the film as a lasting

022

Images: Sam Jones

Action blockbusters, animations and fantasy films have had the 3D treatment and now it’s the turn of dance. Well-regarded German documentary specialist Wim Wenders (Bueno Vista Social Club) is the man who has brought the world of dance into the new age of film-making, with his tribute to the influential modern-dance choreographer Pina Bausch.

flux magazine

The dancers explain that it was usually just a word, a phrase or just a question that their mentor had given them in order for them to find freedom of expression and the essence of their inner self and emotions and translate it into dance. Wenders and the dancers present a feast of colour, a cosmopolitan kaleidoscope of bodies and theatrical, industrial and natural arenas – mountains, stages, trains, glass boxes, motorway intersections – like canvases to the dancers’ artistic pallets. This is all brought to life by dramatic music, the dynamic dances themselves and the 3D visuals, letting the viewer almost feel the beads of sweat dripping off the performers.

We get to experience almost an hour and a half of pure energy and emotional expression in the dancers’ performances and it is hard not to be amazed by what we see. Old and young, weathered and beautiful, angry and ecstatic; the dancers are both synchronised and paradoxical. Pina’s dance patterns and influence transcends restrictions such as age and gender. The unashamed nature of this troupe means there are moments of puzzlement, hilarity, as well as jaw-dropping wonder for the viewer to enjoy before realising that these dancers or artists are completely and enviably free. Pina is like a work of conceptual modern art and the format of the documentary, with the dance pieces, Wenders’ narration and reflection make it feel like a video from a Tate Modern installation. The ghostly figure of the late Pina Bausch appears like a spectre moving amidst the work, sprinkling her magic upon the dancers.

Words: Rowland Marsh Images: Sam Jones

GLASS HALF FULL

Some elements of the film and the performances are quirky, absurd and simply bizarre, while others demonstrate incredible shapes, velocity and physical exertion. Pina is stunning on all levels and you could not imagine a more honest, expressive or ambitious dedication to a choreographer who brought unrivalled freedom to an art form.

WORDS: CORINNA DA FONSECA-WOLLHEIM

It’s a good thing Philip Glass can tune out noise. Out on the walled patio of the composer’s East Village townhouse, the combined roar of trucks, buses and helicopters can make conversation a strain. Inside, brightly colored children’s toys— his youngest is 6—hint at other aural distractions. Still, it is here that Mr. Glass, now a youthful 72, created the bulk of his work, an oeuvre that includes symphonies, film scores, operas and chamber music and continues to grow. Few living composers are as prolific, and none are as well known, or so identified with their particular style. It matters little that he dislikes the label: To anyone

familiar with his music, Philip Glass is the original Minimalist. Since the 1960s, when he began to build compositions out of small, incessantly repeated musical motifs, his work has left its mark not only on contemporary art music, but also on pop, dance and ambient music and the soundtracks to film, television and advertising.

“With the Ensemble music,” he explains, “the issue was always about form and content. The thesis of the music was that the structure and the material were identical, in the same way that a Jasper Johns painting of a flag is identical with the flag. That’s it, end of story. When you get into chamber music, it’s a whole different thing. It’s a musical dialogue that happens between people. It doesn’t make one wrong or one right—it’s simply a different way of working.” Last week saw the U.S. premiere of Mr. Glass’s opera “Kepler,” in a concert production at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Written for the Upper Austrian State Theatre and first performed in Linz in September, the opera is a portrait of that city’s most famous son, the astronomer whose analysis of the motion of the planets provided the foundation for Newton’s discovery of the law of gravity.

Yet Mr. Glass’s recent works— many for solo string instruments— are far removed from the electronically enhanced early pieces he wrote for his Philip Glass Ensemble. While they retain the hypnotic quality that comes from the cyclical arrangement of rhythmic and harmonic building blocks, works like the “Songs and Poems for Solo Cello” or the “Sonata for Violin and Piano” are imbued with a lush sound and searching expressivity far removed from the mechanical pulse of his earlier works. »

For Mr. Glass, who studied philosophy and mathematics at University in Chicago, “Kepler” marked a return to his “portrait operas” that began with “Einstein on the Beach”. The opera uses Kepler’s own writings to portray a person with complex ideas. “Kepler was half poet and half scientist,” says Mr. Glass. “One question he asked himself was, How does the face of the heavens influence the character of man? He said, well, in the first place, when the soul of man is aligned with heaven, then everything happens automatically. He starts to use the word ‘heaven,’ doesn’t use the word ‘God’ at all, and he almost sounds like a Taoist. And then he says, ‘The first principle of the soul is Will. And for that reason, man is and always remains free.’ It’s an astonishing thing to say! And yet he’s an astrologer. He takes the idea of the face of the sky and turns it into free will.

‘The first principle of the soul is Will. And for that reason, man is and always remains free.’ It’s an astonishing thing to say!

“And he says, there’s rivers of blood in the streets and the [pestilence], and women are being raped and children are being murdered. And I guess I could go someplace else—but the question is, do I go to a city that’s been destroyed or one that is about to be destroyed? That’s my choice. And then he says, there’s nothing to do except to think of my studies and anchor them to infinity and then to sink into the earth. This is a profoundly poetic personality! He ends up being this early kind of Schopenhauer.”

The worlds of music and science, as Mr. Glass sees it, are not that far apart. For starters, he is skeptical of science’s claim to objectivity. “Mathematicians are subject to the same kinds of enthusiasms as everybody else. The beauty of mathematics is something that mathematicians talk about all the time, and the elegance of a mathematical theorem is almost as good as its proof. Not only is it true, but it’s elegant. So you get into almost aesthetic questions.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Glass recalls a time when music was subjected to the same test of progressivity as science—an attitude that shaped much of 20th-century music. “We’re in a period of music now which is a big reaction to the ideological modern music of the ‘50s and ‘60s. This is a music that is ahistorical. It doesn’t say, we are here and we must go there. That was the position of [Pierre] Boulez and [Luigi] Nono, and it wasn’t a bad thing—the music was beautiful. But it wanted to be like science where the »

present would disprove the past and would determine the future. The younger composers have totally abandoned that idea.” Although the Minimalist style of music Mr. Glass developed in the mid-1960s was unlike any kind of music heard before, he denies any iconoclastic intentions. Instead, he explains, it was the result of two factors.

music for new plays by Samuel Beckett. I wasn’t thinking, How do I write something new? I had much more pressing problems to think about: How do I solve the dramatic problem of a play where there isn’t any formal narrative or where the narrative is truncated or cut up and recomposed? It wasn’t about theory at all.”

The first was the confluence of his two principal teachers— Nadia Boulanger, the demanding composition professor at the Paris conservatoire, and sitar legend Ravi Shankar, who inspired Mr. Glass to adapt systems of cyclical repetition from Indian music. “You put those two together—I’m the omelet that comes out.”

For the near future Mr. Glass predicts more chamber music, including a double-cello quintet— ”a huge challenge because Schubert did it so beautifully”— and more instrumental sonatas. A second violin concerto and a double concerto for violin and cello are already in the works. “It is curious that the next frontier for me turns out to be 19thcentury chamber music,” he says.

The second factor was that Mr. Glass began his career writing music for theater when the rules of that genre were being turned upside down. “I was writing

Whether this will require new labels for his music he leaves to the critics. Comparing his violin sonata to those by the 19thcentury masters, Mr. Glass says:

the Minimalist style of music Mr. Glass developed in the mid-1960s was unlike any kind of music heard before “It probably could not have been written by someone who hadn’t heard the Brahms, the Franck and the Fauré. But does it sound like that? No, it doesn’t.” Then he adds, with a nod to Newton, “but it stands on the shoulders of that.”

023

emceein’ issue one

em·cee·in’ more than just rapping.

publication, art-direction self-initiated, university 2012

’

ISSUEONE

InsIde The 36 Chambers Insanul Ahmed sits down with the Abbott to discuss headphones, Hollywood and the Clan

THE DREAMER/THE BELIEVER COMMON

+ RZA x WATCH THE THRONE TOUR x COMMON x ETHER +

Common’s in a great place. Initially perceived as a boisterous, 40 oz-drinking MC on his first two LPs in the early ‘90s, he evolved into the poster boy for conscious rap during the next decade. His last LP, the disappointing Universal Mind Control, was unusually stripped of substance, but fairly reflected what the Chicago MC had become—a mainstream rap star with Hollywood success.

no ads: pure beats, rhymes & life £17.02

024

3623346 663

Now, 39, Com is comfortable enough to show all facets of his personality without appearing conflicted. The Dreamer/The Believer paints the perfect picture of Rashid “Common” Lynn—the artist, the man. He returns to his brash roots on “Sweet” and “Raw (How You Like It)”—spitting, “’You Hollywood,’ nah nigga, I’m Chicago/So I cracked his head with a muthafuckin’ bottle.” He’s as women-friendly as ever on “Lovin’ I Lost,” “Cloth” and “Windows,” then parties up on “Celebrate.”

Don’t let the motion picture roles fool you. Com is an MC first. He flexes his lyrical muscle throughout the LP. “Lyrical gymnast, you set the bar low,” he spits on “Gold.” Aside from chorus assistance from Makeba Riddick, James Fauntlero and John Legend, the LP’s sole rap guest appearance comes from Nas on “Ghetto Dreams.” Com delivers a backpacker’s wet dream with the oft requested collaboration—the two previously appeared on Jadakiss’s “Why (Remix)” and Hi-Tek’s “Music for Life.” The Dreamer/The Believer may be Com’s most digestible LP to date. His penchant for uplifting bars is still present, but the message is sprinkled across a number of songs, not a dominant theme. Don’t look for sore points, here. There are none. Com and No I.D.’s chemistry clearly hasn’t suffered from a 14-

Label: Warner, Think Common Music Inc. Production: No I.D.

year break—the two longtime collaborators hadn’t worked together since 1997’s One Day It’ll All Make Sense. No—who mans the board on all 11 songs— matches’s Com’s moods with fittingly choice soundscapes ranging from soulful (“Gold”) to rock solid (“Sweet”) to quasi futuristic (“Blue Sky”)—allowing the Chi-Town vet to deliver a cohesive album that ranks among the best in his stellar 19year career

ISSUEONE

No. Me, when I’m doing production I stick myself in a house, don’t go nowhere and make straight beats. It was an awkward, hardcore beat. I kinda played around and rapped on it, me and my friends, but it wasn’t nothing serious going. Hip Hop from Roc-A-Fella, somebody had brought him to my house and I played him that beat I played him another beat. And he actually took these two beats, but I guess it never got to the ears of Jay, but it got to the ears of Nas.

08 / ETHER RON BROWZ DISCUSSES MAKING THE CLASSIC BATTLE TRACK

10 / THE DREAMER: STILL BELIEVIN’ COMMON ExpLORES COLLABORATION CHEMISTRy WITH NAS AND NO I.D. AND BREAKS DOWN LINES FROM CLASSIC SONGS

ETHER

20 / INDSIDE THE 36 CHAMBERS THE RZA TALKS HEADpHONES, HOLLyWOOD, AND WORKING ON “WATCH THE THRONE”

36 / SOUL BROTHER NUMBER ONE pETE ROCK BREAKS DOWN SOME OF HIS ESSENTIALS

Nas had that record at the summer time. And he held it for so long. I was like, “He ain’t gon use it.” So I forgot about it, but then Nas called me that winter, like that December. And he was like, “Yo, I need you to come to the studio and listen to what I did to your beat. I get to the studio and he’s just chilling, he was real calm about it. He wasn’t amped. He told the engineer to play the record and my mouth dropped. Nas knew the effect it was gonna have. I didn’t know the effect it was gonna have. And I’m like, “Wow, people gon hate me for this. I’ll never get to work with Jay as a producer. Is Jay gonna feel a way? All them ran into my mind. I got so many phone calls.

Ron Browz reveals that Jay-Z’s A&R had the “Ether” beat first and tells XXL why it’s a better instrumental than Kanye West’s “Takeover” / Carl Chery

60 / REVIEWS CARL CHERy RATES THE NEWEST RELEASES

74 / WATCH THE THRONE

Ron Browz doesn’t get his just due. The Harlem-bred producer’s résumé reads like a who’s who list of New York notables and he’s responsible for the sonics of classic records like Big L’s “Ebonics” and Nas’s “Ether.” Still, Browz’s work yields skepticism. Over the last decade, he’s also emerged into a capable hitmaker—producing and performing on his own “Jumping Out the Window,” as well as Jim Jones’s “Pop Champagne” and Busta Rhymes’s “Arab Money.”

A LOOK AT JAy-Z & KANyE’S TOUR

84 / GRAFFITI IN MANCHESTER TAKE A TRIp AROUND THE CITy WITH US

When did you find out that Nas was going to go at Jay on the record?

Though all of Browz’s previously mentioned hits have charted higher than “Ether,” he’s still primarily known for assisting God’s Son in his scathing rebuttal to Jay-Z’s “Takeover.” Now, 10 years after the release of the classic diss song, RB reveals to XXL that Jay’s A&R, Kyambo “Hip Hop” Joshua, had the “Ether” instrumental first, how producing the track barred him from working with the God MC and why it’s a better beat than the Kanye West-produced, “Takeover

emceein’ issue one

“

I gET To THE STuDIo AND HE’S juST cHIllINg, HE wAS REAl cAlM AbouT IT. HE wASN’T AMpED. HE TolD THE ENgINEER To plAY THE REcoRD AND MY MouTH DRoppED. NAS KNEw THE EffEcT IT wAS goNNA HAvE.

When you made that beat did you have Nas in mind or was it for someone else?

Work started coming in for me, so it ended up being a positive thing. Lenny S. said that every time you see him you say that you producing “Ether” may have gotten in the way of you working with Jay. You know what, you hear so much then you start to believe it. Maybe he does feel some type of way. I’m gonna say he feels some type of way. I never worked with him. I worked with the greatest. Lil’ Kim, Foxy, Nas, Fat Joe, 50 Cent, Jadakiss. I worked with a lot of the top artists. I never got a chance to work with Jay and I’m nice so I don’t get it. Since you produced it, did you feel like you had to pick sides when the battle was happening? I tell people, I’m a fan of hip-hop at the end of the day. I like Jay, I like Nas. Did I pick sides? At that time, you already know who won. Once “Ether” came out, it wasn’t even picking sides, it was like which record was harder. “Ether” happened to be the harder record.

“

KANYE KNOW I TRASHED HIM.

”

Over the years Jay and Kanye have compared the “Ether” beat to the “Takeover” beat—

THE DREAMER: STILL BELIEVIN’

Kanye know I trashed him. So you think “Ether” is a better instrumental than “Takeover?” Come on. I did that from scratch. Kanye sampled it. Come on. My mother can go in the house and listen to a record, chop that, chop that and make that. You know I heard Kanye when he was saying that, “How can people compare them?” I did that from scratch, the keyboard, a drum machine, my drum patterns. That’s me playing the keyboard with the strings and all the additional percussion. And it was hard. That’s a sample. Come on, anybody can do that. Is y’all playing? “Yo, it’s better.” Nah. I mean, I don’t know who produced [“Takeover”]. Kanye know, man. He know deep in his heart what beat is harder. And you can just do a survey.

Common explains how potential collaborative albums with Nas and Q-Tip are inspired by Jazz music, and elaborates on bold bars from “Resurrection,” “Sweet,” “The 6th Sense” and Black Star’s “Respiration.” It’s before 7 a.m. in Los Angeles when Common calls for an interview on Saturday morning. Few emcees do press on weekends and even fewer before lunchtime. However, just like he is on records, Comm is fully focused on the moment. After all, it is a momentous season for the veteran emcee. Later this month his ninth album, The Dreamer, The Believer will release after a threeyear album hiatus while the musician further pursued acting, moved to Warner Brothers and reunited with crucial collaborator No I.D.

I think we gon do that on the site and find out.

True to his music, Common’s mind is a balance between abstractions promoting his lived observational experiences and actual facts proving them. The re-energized rapper asserts his place at the top of “best emcee” lists, also breaks down some of the lines from yesteryear that earns him that spot. He states that The Dreamer, The Believer is “forever” music, and reveals the process that created it. When it comes to Common life, his music and his place in Hip Hop history, dreams have met reality.

Niggas gon be like, “That ‘Ether’ was so hard. It was so awkward as a hardcore beat. It was malicious. [“Ether”] gon’ win by a landslide.

StRaiGhten it Out Pete Rock & CL Smooth

were clearing them. We had to get permission and clear the samples.

Album: Mecca and the

Skinz

Label: Elektra

Pete Rock & CL Smooth featuring Grand Puba

(1992)

When I’m making beats, I’m [constructing them using] whatever ideas I have in my head and whatever good records I have around me. I was playing with this one record, and I heard the sample and I liked what he was saying, but we wanted to flip it and talk about bootlegging, because that was really strong around that time. Bootlegging cassettes of albums and selling them on 125th Street.

Without question, Soul Brother #1 Pete Rock is one of the most prolific, influential, and respected hip-hop producers of all-time. His catalogue is extremely revered thanks to ’90s classics such as Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.),” Redman’s “How To Roll A Blunt,” Run DMC’s “Down With The King,” and Nas’ “The World Is Yours,” as well as modern day gems like last year’s breath of fresh air, “The Joy,” with Kanye West & Jay-Z. And let’s not forget the masterful remixes he created (and at times added dope lyrics to) with iconic artists like Public Enemy, House of Pain, and Jeru The Damaja, plus, his highly regarded Soul Survivor solo projects. Yes, twenty years

“When I’m makIng beats, I’m [constructIng them usIng] Whatever Ideas I have In my head and Whatever good records I have around me. I Was playIng WIth thIs one record, and I heard the sample and I lIked What he Was sayIng, but We Wanted to flIp It and talk about bootleggIng”

deep, and Mount Vernon’s finest remains among the top beat makers and most heavily sought after DJs in the industry. Following the release of his latest album Monumental with fellow New York legends Smif N’ Wessun, we chopped it up with the Chocolate Boy Wonder and got the stories behind his greatest records. From the tears shed after hearing “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” mixed for the first time, to Jam Master Jay showing up at his mother’s house unannounced to work on beats, to watching Big Pun lay his verse down for the Soul Survivor album while simultaneously eating a bag of potato chips, Pete shares all his priceless moments.

JAY-Z

KANYE WEST

WATCH THE THRONE WiTH RumOuRS Of A EuROpEAN TOuR, HENRY AdASO CAugHT ‘THE THRONE’ iN HOuSTON AS THE bOOmiNg bASS ANd SpuTTERiNg Hi-HATS Of “H.A.m.” fillEd bAlTimORE’S 1ST mARiNER ARENA lAST NigHT, KANYE WEST ANd JAY-Z ROSE 15 fEET iN THE AiR ON CubEd plATfORmS ON OppOSiTE ENdS Of THE flOOR, liKE glAdiATORS REAdY TO bATTlE. THEY TRAdEd THE bOASTful, bOOmiNg vERSES Of THE SONg – THE fiRST SiNglE fROm THE duO’S RECENT COllAbORATiON WATCH THE THRONE – AS if TRYiNg TO bEAT EACH OTHER iNTO SubmiSSiON. THAT WEST WAS WEARiNg A blACK KNEE-lENgTH TuNiC ONlY AidEd THE illuSiON.

EDGE ST.

GRAFFITI MANCHESTER

‘Straighten it out,’ you can take that [phrase] and apply it to any situation you may be dealing with. If it’s between you and a friend and you guys have friction, ‘Straighten it out.’ Whatever business deal you got or beefs you got with people, ‘Straighten it out.’ We watched other people get sued [for not clearing samples], but we were on a major label so we

Redman

Label: Def Jam

Album: Mecca and the Soul Brother Label: Elektra (1992)

The last record we did for the first album was ‘Skinz.’ It was the very last song. That completed the album. We walked out of the studio and it was snowing, and we were [filming ourselves] on videotape saying we finished the album. Grand Puba’s family. When it’s family, it’s just a meeting of the minds. Like, ‘Let me get on that!’ ‘Go ahead!’ We were labelmates on Elektra Records. [He lived] right next door to Mount Vernon [in New Rochelle]. We used to hang out in Lincoln Park. We used to be in New Rochelle a lot, in the projects, going to the football and basketball games. I used to do parties in the New Rochelle High School gym.

(1992)

I built a relationship with EPMD, and when I met them I met the whole click. Redman, Keith Murray, everybody. We became great friends, me and Red. He used to come to my house and just work out in the basement with me and do music. That’s my brother. I treat everyone like they’re family. I get along with everybody. I gave him the actual disc [with the beat on it] and they loaded it up on their SP and laid it down, mixed it, and put it out. He liked the beat, used it, gave me a shout out on it, and I was happy.

Puba wrote my first two raps [after ‘Don’t Curse’]. We did ‘The Creator,’ and he wrote ‘Soul Brother #1.’ I got inspired [to write my own raps] hanging out with Grand Puba and Brand Nubian. [Puba] used to gas me up. We also did a couple demos in my house that never came out.

THOMAS ST. NEW WAKEFIELD ST.

EDGE ST.

We filmed the video in Essex County Jail, in a real jail, and then from there we went down to 125th Street and did a reenactment of the bootleggers, and us destroying their stand selling our music and taking food out of our mouth. The people weren’t getting the quality sound, and [the bootleggers] were just making a quick dollar.

hOw tO ROLL a BLunt

Album: Whut? Thee Album

Soul Brother

Q-TIP

RZA

025

emceeinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; issue one

026

emceeinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; issue one

027

emceein’ issue two ISSUETWO

publication, art-direction

08 / THE MANTRAS OF KENDRICK LAMAR THE WEST COAST ROOKIE TELLS US HIS KEYS TO SUCCESS

10 / NOT YOUR TYPICAL MC WE SIT DOWN WITH STAND UP / EMCEE, DONALD GLOVER AKA CHILDISH GAMBINO

18 / ?

self-initiated, university 2012

THE ROOTS DRUMMER ?UESTLOVE ON DEF JAM AND A NEW LP.

24 / ILLMATIC WE BREAK DOWN 10 THINGS MOST WON’T KNOW ABOUT NAS’S CLASSIC DEBUT.

’

ISSUETWO

34 / THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS... YASIIN BEY TALKS ABOUT HIS LATEST MUSICAL ENDEAVOURS.

40 / BEATS, RHYMES AND LIFE Q-TIP TALKS ABOUT HIS FIRST LOVE, DJING.

48 / CHECK OUT THE SCENARIO BUSTA RHYMES REMEMBERS THE CLASSIC POSSE CUT.

54 / ANOTHER LEVEL PUSHA T LET’S US KNOW WHAT’S G.O.O.D.

60 / REVIEWS CHECKIN’ OUT THE NEW RELEASES.

74 / STILL D.R.E. A REVIEW OF DR. DRE AND SNOOP’S SET AT COACHELLA.

86 / JUMP AROUND A LOOK AT WHAT WILL BE ON OUR FEET THIS SUMMER.

CHILDISH GAMBINO BUSTA RHYMES DR. DRE & SNOOP DOGG 10 Things You Didn’t

/////////////

Know About

Written by Insanul Ahmed

This year is the 18th year anniversary of Nas’ landmark debut Illmatic. Nas has made so many great songs (and a few awful ones) but still, his legacy lies in his debut. Illmatic is arguably the greatest rap record ever and an album just about anyone who calls themselves a hip-hop fan knows all the words to. While VH1’s Behind The Music on Nas taught us lots of things about Nasir Jones most of us didn’t know (or things we don’t believe, like that whole bit about a shuffle with 2Pac) we’re willing to bet that there’s things about Illmatic that even the biggest Nas stan doesn’t know. That’s why in celebration of the album, we dug through the archives of various articles about the album and pulled together 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Nas’ Illmatic. And if you do know these things already, then congratulations you win the Rap Nerd of the Day award....

Pusha T, 33, has consistently drawn praise for his Pyrex-tinged rhymes. In 2010, though, Kanye West recruited The Neptunes protégé to join his G.O.O.D. Music roster as a soloist, and later that year he featured Pusha on the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy standout “Runaway,” on which the fiery wordsmith rhymed with an emotional depth he had yet to showcase. That cameo, in addition to the Virginia native’s last March Fear of God mixtape, propelled the lyricist to new heights, helping him brand both himself and Re-Up Gang Records, the label he coowns with his older brother, the other half of the Clipse, Malice.

no ads: pure beats, rhymes & life £17.02

People have been calling for Pusha T to be a XXL Freshman this year. Were you receiving the same attention?

01 3623346

028

Yeah, people bring it to my attention, that this whole solo look for me is me in the Freshman stages. They all let me know or reminded me that I’ve never taken this platform before. But I can’t honestly look at myself as a Freshman. I been in this game, like, what, we 10 years deep now. It’s definitely a new chapter, but me being a Freshman, I don’t even think that’s too fair, to the other people who are on the cover. That spot needs to be held for somebody who is just coming out.

896 13

ANO THER LEVEL

Do you take offense to the idea? Nah, man. Definitely not offended. ’Cause I know where they coming from; they not calling me a new jack. Just in the sense of me never stepping on the solo platform, and that’s true. I’ve never done anything solo, ever. Since you joined Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music crew and had success with “Runaway” and then “My God,” does it feel like your career has a clean slate now? It really does feel like a different point in my career. I feel like my fans and the hip- hop community

in general want to see something different from me. It’s funny because at one point, I can remember feeling like, Damn, it was enough for my fans just to have a hot 16. But now they’re championing album sales for me. And it’s funny because my Clipse fans never really cared about that. But they want to see me win. I love it, man. I can only do what I can do and that’s rap to the best of my ability, and hopefully the rest pans out. How do you handle your business differently as a solo artist? I think a little bit more. It’s funny, because when I’m with my brother,

THE

ROO

GNI TS RE-SI NG TO DEF J AM

,T H

emceein’ issue two

NOT YOUR TYPICAL MC

N D W H A T J A Y- Z ONC UM A

QUESTLOVE

ALB

TA L

As a professional actor and standup comic, Donald Glover, a.k.a Childish Gambino, may not be the typical MC, but he’s out to prove he belongs in the cypher...

EB E

WORDS ADAM FLEISCHER

GG ED HI

It’s a day of first appearances for Childish Gambino. He has just completed his first taping of The Late Show With David Letterman, where, following a performance of his new single single, “Heartbeat,” the 28-year-old entertainer was bid adieu by a paparazzi-induced flickering of cameras as he exited through a side door of Midtown Manhattan’s Ed Sullivan Theater and dashed towards a shimmering black SUV. The vehicle, packed tightly with Gambino’s sister and two-person PR team, is headed a few blocks away for Gambino’s second first appearance of the day, this one at BET’s 106 & Park on West 57th Street. “I’m more nervous about 106 & Park [than Letterman],” he says while cruising up the city’s west side. It’s a brisk evening in late December and Gambino is at the height of the promo run for his debut commercial album, Camp, which dropped the previous month and had already sold an impressive 50,000 copies. “Heartbeat,” the record he performed on Letterman, was the second single.

IN TE RV

IEW

BY I NSAN UL AHMED

While most rappers bring their budding buzz to 106 as a rite of passage, few secure a Letterman gig, and even fewer do so on the heels of their first album and before making a appearance on 106 initially. Letterman is a nontraditional look for a hip-hop artist early in their career, but Gambino is not a conventional rap neophyte. It’s not just that he’s bucking the fashion-centric style of the majority of today’s rappers, instead donning an awkwardly fitting fuzzy red long-sleeve shirt, tight navy pants and beat-up sneakers to both TV interviews. There’s more. Donald Glover, Gambino’s given name, has already experienced enviable accomplishments in the field of entertainment: a starring role on NBC’s ensemble hit Community, a standup comedy special on Comedy Central, Donald Glover: Weirdo, a three-year gig as a writer for the Emmy-winning sitcom 30 Rock and a role lending his voice to the 2011 film The Muppets.

I can remember it like it was yesterday. A Tribe Called Quest song. “Award Tour” came on the radio and I froze…just sat and listened. I immediately went out to buy that tape at the record store down the street from me (back then we had tapes and records, not CDs). I still rock that album like it was a gift from Santa on Christmas. I really didn’t know what hip-hop was at the age of 12, but when I heard that song, I knew I had to hear more of where it came from. Listening to hip-hop was like listening to a bedtime story; I ALWAYS had to hear one…and I couldn’t go to sleep without one. And if hip-hop was the story, the storyteller I loved most was Q-Tip. His melodic voice and fresh rhymes kept me coming back for more. So you can understand that when I was presented with the opportunity to interview him for my

After almost two decades in the game Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, has seen many ups and downs in the ever demanding music industry without compromising his art. Due to his thought-provoking rhymes in regards to social and political issues, the Brooklyn native belongs to hiphop’s elite rhymesayers. Having recently rejoined with his frequent partner in rhyme Talib Kweli to resurrect Black Star and a new series called Top 40 is officially making its mark on the music game. We caught up with Yasiin and conversed about his latest music endeavors. by Petar Kujundzic

Busta has transformed good cuts into great songs, and great songs into classics, dedicating an entire segment of his career to collaborating on other MC’s records. Though A Tribe Called Quest’s Low End Theory was released in September 1991 this week marks 20 years since the single release of Busta Rhymes’s star-making guest spot on ATCQ’s timeless, “Scenario.” Here, the ageless vet recalls participating in one of the ultimate rap ciphers with Tribe and his former group Leaders of the New School. As told to Shaheem Reid

I remember it like yesterday. The first thing, that song went through a lot of changes. The first time we did that record, [Q-]Tip came up with the beat. It was originally supposed to be A Tribe [Called Quest] and Leaders [of the New School] record. We were at Battery studios and everybody was writing their rhyme. We were on some real competitive shit, so niggas ain’t really want each other to hear their verses, but still wanted to go around and see how everybody else verse sounded. At that time, when you caught a hot line, you started buggin’ out in your own corner. You get to boo hooing and everything like that in

having to compose myself and calm the screaming 12-year-old inside me, I sat down and thought, well, what am I going to ask him? And then like water through a

What can we expect from your new series Top 40 Underdogs and what inspired it? I am doing this for the culture. The tradition, taking someone’s song and making your version out of it, is not new to hip-hop. It is similar to dancehall music, where there is one rhythm and many artists offer their interpretation of it. Covering songs is certainly in the DNA of the culture. 50 Cent, as a matter of fact, built his name in New York for awhile doing just that. I also like the community mind aspect of it that it belongs to all of us. It basically gives and extends the life of our culture, our rhythm. Thus, this series is something that comes quite natural for me to do. I’ve done it before. Just look at “Children’s Story,” or even my version of Jay-Z’s “Takeover” in 2004. It is something that is really fun to do, you know, giving different perspectives on a familiar piece. There are a lot of songs on Top 40 Radio, not just in current day charts, that I have been a fan of and obviously my content is a lot different from what

Busta Rhymes has turned guest appearances into a sub-genre all in itself. No MC has been more prolific when it comes to making cameos and arguably no MC has a more unique arsenal or flow, vocal tone and charisma when it comes to checking in on a peer’s record.

your corner and niggas would be coming around. You’d be like, “Nah, son. Gotta wait ‘till I get in the booth to spit mine.” So, we did the rhymes. I had the rhyme one way first. Then we left the studio, Tip was doing some additional shit to it. We came back to the studio and somehow the record evolved into a lot more artists wanting to get on the record. The excitement of the record in its original state started to hit the street word of mouth. Black Sheep’s Dres ended up coming to the studio and putting a verse on the beat. I think De La came in there and put

4EVA N A DAY BIG K.R.I.T. Big K.R.I.T. has put himself in a tough, if enviable, position. His breakout release, May 2010’s K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, had many anointing him as the bridgebuilder between Golden Era Southern rap of now-legends and the landscape of today’s down South music. Return of 4Eva, from March of last year, continued the pouring of praise, earning nods as one of the year’s best projects from both mainstream and rap publications and fans, while also spawning an organic radio record (“Country Shit [Remix]”). With his Def Jam debut, Live From The Underground, slated to drop in June, Krizzle wanted to give listeners one more free body of work, so he offered up 4Eva N A Day. With sizeable critical success already under his belt, Big K.R.I.T. isn’t rethinking the lane he’s already carved for himself with 4Eva N A Day. Instead, he’s employing the same musical and stylistic components that got him to this point, once again: soulful, jazzy production; shining Southern pride; lyrical content that reflects the authentic and wide range of emotions any individual goes through.

Even with many of the same qualities that his previous projects possessed, 4Eva N A Day stands out in its comprehensive conceptual approach. Most of the songs themselves still have concepts, as they have in the past, but, here, the entire release is tied into itself, as Krizzle takes the listener through a day with him, from waking up with the sun to knocking out just a few hours before it comes up again.

for instance), which many would say is derivative of acts like UGK and 8Ball & MJG. But that approach has been, and remains, true to K.R.I.T., and was what got him to this spot and won over fans.

Label: Warner, Think Common Music Inc. Production: No I.D.

After the alarm goes off at “8:04 AM,” it’s time to “Wake Up,” over a beautifully mellow saxaphone by Willie B. K.R.I.T. reflects on his love for and loss of his grandmother with “Yesterday,” which includes a short sample of her speaking at the beginning. He kicks it and lights up with his patnas on “Sky Club,” then fights with his girl on “Red Eye,” before seeing locals and neighbors at the “Package Store.” The Cinematic rapper then hits the strip club and is ready to “turn this into something” on “Temptation,” and then open to the idea of reconciling with his significant other on “Insomnia.” After a full day, he gets some sleep at “5:04 AM.”

It’s easy and natural to yearn for clear and tangible growth from an artist—and hearing K.R.I.T.’s soundscape expand through the use of producers other than himself could

possibly be beneficial. The multi-talented artist has indeed gotten better, steadily working towards perfecting his crafts. But why be untrue to yourself and fans just to force and feign drastic development, or step out of your comfort zone, when it’s not really necessary.

we came to

With 4Eva N A Day, Big K.R.I.T. is doing that Big K.R.I.T. thing again. And that’s a damn good thing. Adam Fleischer

On “Handwriting,” the Third Coast Representer considers some of the music industry politics he has faced, but also offers up some of his most telling commentary and careerrelated self-reflection: “I make albums not hits,” he raps, after recounting Def Jam asking for another single; “Maybe I’m hurting myself talking about real life instead of the fame,” he later wonders; “’Cause I rebel I might get shelved, but that’s part of the game.” Sure, some of the sounds are derivative of his earlier work (the beat of “Country Rap Tunes” is reminiscent of that of Wuz Here’s “Neva Go Back,”

everyone loves a pair of fresh kicks. these are what the emceein’ team are rockin’ this summer. 87

029

emceeinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; issue two

030

emceeinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; issue two

031

pub guides

branding, publication university 2011

032

COMPILED BY DAVE SMITH

THE DE

AR SI N

EDINBURGH

B TP UBS &

www.pubguides.com

9 781565 924796

THE DE

LIVERPOOL ES

COMPILED BY DAVE SMITH

AR SI N

ISBN 978-1-56592-479-6

54495

IV NIT E GU FI

O ET ID

OUR EXPERTS HAVE BEEN SAMPLING THE BEST PUBS IN LIVERPOOL FOR ONE YEAR, HERE ARE THE WATERING HOLES WE THINK ARE WORTH A STOP ON ANY PUB CRAWL!

B TP UBS &

GOING TO LIVERPOOL? NEED A NICE LOCATION TO UNWIND WITH A LOVELY PINT? THIS IS THE GUIDE FOR YOU!

THE

COMPILED BY DAVE SMITH

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE BEST PUBS & BARS IN LIVERPOOL

O ET ID

www.pubguides.com

IV NIT E GU FI

LEEDS THE

OUR EXPERTS HAVE BEEN SAMPLING THE BEST PUBS IN LEEDS FOR ONE YEAR, HERE ARE THE WATERING HOLES WE THINK ARE WORTH A STOP ON ANY PUB CRAWL!

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE BEST PUBS & BARS IN LEEDS

GOING TO LEEDS? NEED A NICE LOCATION TO UNWIND WITH A LOVELY PINT? THIS IS THE GUIDE FOR YOU!

THE DE

9 781565 924796

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE BEST PUBS & BARS IN LEEDS

9 781565 924796

54495

O ET ID

www.pubguides.com ISBN 978-1-56592-479-6

54495

9 781565 924796

ISBN 978-1-56592-479-6

OUR EXPERTS HAVE BEEN SAMPLING THE BEST PUBS IN EDINBURGH FOR ONE YEAR, HERE ARE THE WATERING HOLES WE THINK ARE WORTH A STOP ON ANY PUB CRAWL!

B TP UBS &

GOING TO EDINBURGH? NEED A NICE LOCATION TO UNWIND WITH A LOVELY PINT? THIS IS THE GUIDE FOR YOU!

IV NIT E GU FI

THE

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE BEST PUBS & BARS IN EDINBURGH

COMPILED BY DAVE SMITH

www.pubguides.com ISBN 978-1-56592-479-6

CARDIFF THE

OUR EXPERTS HAVE BEEN SAMPLING THE BEST PUBS IN CARDIFF FOR ONE YEAR, HERE ARE THE WATERING HOLES WE THINK ARE WORTH A STOP ON ANY PUB CRAWL!

IV NIT E GU FI

O ET ID

GOING TO CARDIFF? NEED A NICE LOCATION TO UNWIND WITH A LOVELY PINT? THIS IS THE GUIDE FOR YOU!

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE BEST PUBS & BARS IN CARDIFF

THE DE

pub guides

B TP UBS &

54495

033

pub guides

034

pub guides

035

bang! door stickers publication, experimental self-initiated, university 2011

036

bang! door stickers

037

K N OC K I

038

DOOR

WHO’S

AT YOUR

WHO’S

K N OC K T A I H

bang! door stickers

039

bang! nailvetica typography, experimental self-initiated, university 2011

040

bang! nailvetica

041

circle typeface typography, self-branding self-initiated, freelance 2013

042

circle typeface

043

montserrat edit typography, self-branding self-initiated 2013

044

montserrat edit

045