Just P caught up with UK producer Zaheer to shoot this interview for Black Budget TV.
If you missed the ‘Assemble’ video in an earlier post here it is again, featuring Abiade, Rukus, Swami Baracus, Genesis Elijah and ShaoDow
http://www.twitter.com/zaheermusic
http://www.youtube.com/zaheermusic
SB.TV caught up with West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar for this interview in which he reveals which rapper inspired his music, why he’ll always have respect for Tupac and why he treats every song like his last…
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A bit more of K Koke, because who’s ever been mad to watch him, and the rest of the USG team.
So here’s the deal for our latest podcast. The idea for number 4 was for Matt and I to pick our favourite U.S artists then play you the lovely interview we conducted with Mr Tricksta, but you know what? The interview was so in-depth and substantial that it ended up being extra long. Now I personally love listening to nice long interviews, especially if I’m doing the gardening, but sadly there are a lot of impaitent people out there in the world. Everyone’s too busy! I need my coffee now! You are talking too slow! I have no time! Why are there so many links to click? NO TIME! NO TIME AT ALL! So, with that in mind I’ve decided that this interview will be cut into two parts, with the second installment coming out with the next podcast.
This episode we talk about our respective top 5 American artists, argue about whether Slick Rick’s track ‘Treat Her Like a Prostitute’ is misogynistic (spoiler: it is), muse over the actual value of our joint music degrees, and Matt rages about Puff Daddy.
We talk to Tricksta about how he got started as a promoter, his love and/or obsession with hip-hop, his future plans, the response to his recently release album Out Of Darkness Cometh Light, rappers making music in biscuit tins, and much more.
Tricksta Facebook
Park Street PR Twitter
Track listing:
1) Biggie Smalls – Things Done Changed
2) Tupac – Point Tha Finger
3) Del The Funky Homosapien – Why You Wanna Get Funky?
4) Dessa – Mineshaft
5) Slick Rick – Who Rotten Em?
6) Atmosphere – Always Coming Back Home To You
7) Del la Soul – D.A.I.S.Y Age
8) Aesop Rock – Hold The Cup
9) A Tribe Called Quest – Everything Is Fair
10) Immortal Technique – Parole
Words: Aimee
DNA dropped by the VladTV studios for a second interview, this time around he spoke in depth about his battle with E-Ness. He detailed how he prepared his bars for Ness, and tried not to have every single thing he said be about Ness’ days walking across the Brooklyn Bridge to get cheesecake for Diddy. He also opened up on how he felt while Ness was talking over his rhymes and if he would’ve done anything differently during the battle while Ness was acting out.
At the end he explains the back story behind his missing front tooth which has been a constant target for years during his battles, up until he actually got the tooth replaced not too long ago.
In this clip, Afrika Bambaataa talks about the origins of the phrase “Hip Hop” and the principles of the Universal Zulu Nation, the international hip hop awareness group he founded.
After releasing their latest E.P “Bulletin”, eight-piece Hip-Hop band Lazy Habits film an exclusive interview with our friends at Hip-Hop Kings. The London based collective speak about the E.P and how they overcome creative differences when recording in the studio, and promoting their projects to the public.
http://www.lazyhabits.co.uk
http://www.hip-hopkings.com
Follow on Twitter: @LazyHabitsUK | @HHKDotCom
Filmed by @LazyHabitsUK. Edited by @EzioDelRocco
Keeping on the Chess Move Cartel vibes tonight, we’re gonna give you a nice freebie courtesy of the CEO and producer Chess Moves, US emcee Shadowstar Boxer and DJ Grazzhoppa. The album promo mix is well over ten minutes and gives you a dope insight of what to expect when the album ‘A King’s Foresight’ drops on December 3rd. Also included is an interview with the trio by Weezy, in which Chess Moves, Shadowstar and DJ Grazzhoppa talk about the ‘A King’s Foresight’ project
Chess, can you fill us in on the background to this release, including your original inspirations, aims and strategy?
CM: My aim was to give the people more of what they had previously expressed an interest in liking – not from CMC specifically, but from hip hop in general. The sound delivered was literally grabbed and pushed, incorporating lots of familiar sounds and samples in a format that many of us in this genre have taken to: boom bap. The familiarity is there and that’s what I wanted the audience to zoom in on. I think it works; it’s easy to connect with something you already have a relationship with, is it not?
Shadow, how did Chess’s fresh beats inspire you in terms of your lyrical content and delivery?
SB: Chess’s beats for this project turned out to be a lot more musical than ones I had used before. The biggest challenge was making sure that my rhyme structure stood up to the creative angles. This project inspired some serious changes in my approach, and I’m happy about meeting the challenge.
Grazzhoppa – you make a welcome comeback to the line-up following your Intricate Moves joint. What appealed to you about the King’s Foresight project? And can you tell us about your role in the production of the album?
G: The fact that all of the beats are by the same person and there’s one MC for the whole album gives it a ‘sound’ – it reminds me of early Schoolly D releases. I came from that era so it feels natural to me. I added scratches to the whole album and I created the promo mix and some edits.
It sounds to me like you guys are trying to give people something not only to nod their heads to, but to dance to! Was that your intention?
CM: Something that plods along has its place and works real well for many, but something that I miss about the earlier days of hip hop is that there was a pulse of energy in the whole thing. Higher BPMs do give people something to move to, and more than just their heads.
SB: I think that was our aim from the first beat production to the rhymes being recorded. Given the quality of our previous releases, I also think it was perfect timing in terms of the kind of diversity we are bringing in A King’s Foresight.
CM: This release contains energy from its tempos, which bring out layers that we don’t get to see as often as we would like from the artists that we work with. Shadowstar Boxer and DJ Grazzhoppa complemented the joints I created with ease and I would gladly ask them back to create and deliver more of the same. Skills in abundance.
Choose one favourite track from the album. What will it be?
G: I will go with the track called My Freedom. I really like the way the sample was flipped on this; I think it sounds refreshing. I like the message in the song too.
CM: The joint that keeps my attention the most is Pillow Magik, and that’s down to several reasons. From my producer’s perspective I’m looking at the sample I took and how I flipped it and watched how it evolved with the other elements that are now fused together – for example, when the verses and cuts were added. It bounces along; it’s easy going; the beats and bass carry weight; the lyrical content is of a nature that pretty much appeals to everyone; and of course the cuts are rocked by a master on the wheels. This is my number one joint but in all fairness I’m really feeling the whole of the album.
SB: My favourite track is Ice Cold Tipsy; I had the most fun recording it. It starts with rhymes that I birthed last year but had not yet found a place for. After listening to the beat I was instantly inspired by more feel-good lyrics, and wrote the rest of the song with the hope that people would have a crazy amount of fun listening, drinking, and dancing to it.
Do you all feel like this album is a milestone for CMC in terms of creative development?
SB: Is this a milestone? I believe so, simply because I think it will show that CMC can break through into multiple styles of hip hop without sacrificing quality or integrity. Some might see a lot of my previous lyrics as preachy, even though they can appreciate the groove and delivery, but this album branches across the different styles in a smooth fashion. Grazzhoppa made some crazy nice scratches and interludes to complement this feeling.
G: I think this sets a style for more albums to come in the future. I really had fun doing this record.
CM: For me this was probably the easiest project I have ever been on in terms of creative development, simply because I purposely set out to work with established winning ingredients – all I did was glue them together. There’s no super rare break going on; I want you to know the sample and for you (the audience) to see how and where it got flipped. I would say that this is more of a milestone in terms of how we are connecting with the hip hop crowd and with what they have expressed over time about what they would prefer to hear. This is music that we love too – I want to hear a DJ Premier or Pete Rock joint like they used to create in the early 90s; that’s my music. If I am not hearing what I need to hear then I will step to the MPC, make the calls to the Chess Move Cartel crew and get a fresh project up and out, and A King’s Foresight is yet another example of that.
The 14-track digital download of A King’s Foresight will be available on iTunes and Amazon on Monday 3 December 2012, with a 19-track vinyl double album version to follow in the first quarter of 2013 – further news to follow.
http://www.ChessMoveCartel.com
http://chessmovecartel.spreadshirt.co.uk/
http://twitter.com/ChessMoveCartel
http://www.youtube.com/chessmovecartel
RZA opens up about his new film “Man With the Iron Fists,” and reveals that he compares it to Wu Tang’s “36 Chambers,” because it’s “informative” and “will entertain you.” RZA also says that he’s came full circle with his vision of Wu Tang and Kung-Fu movies, and feels that he’s given back to the martial arts community.
So we decided that even though we’ve given Manchester-based MC Yoshi Riot love in the past, of recent it’s just not been up to par. He agreed we were probably right, and promised an in-dept, real and non-censored interview with us. Well being the scandal hound I am (scandal hound? Yeah why not) I asked him some pretty open-ended questions to see where he went with the answers. If you’re not a fan of Yoshi Riot by the end of this, then you are an idiot. Sorry.
Thanks again to our man for sitting down and doing this.
For fans of Ruthless, Genisis Elijah, Leddie & Smoggy.
Generic questions out the way, as usual! Who are you and what do you do?
I’m YOSHI RIOT!…as if you even have to ask…haha (I’m joking)
I can’t even explain what I do, I just get a beat and whatever’s going through my head…(or life) at the time…I write it down and chat it in time to the beat haha. I’m a rapper basically but that title is thrown about so frivolously these days I’m beginning to hate the word. And most of the fuckers calling themselves a rapper. It doesn’t define me though…It ain’t all I do…I work with young people in the care system also. I’m also involved with an activist group but I’ll say more about that later.
Why the name change?
It’s evolution. I’m constantly changing, ”YOSHI RIOT” was born out of struggle. He’s my bullet proof vest.
What got you into making hip-hop, and what influenced you?
Ahhhh man I hate telling this story because it makes me sound like a fuckin’ nutter. Basically my childhood was a bit messy and a lot of the things that went down made me really introvert…I couldn’t articulate what I was feeling, so I didn’t try. So my issues spilled out into my behaviour until eventually my school teachers suggested to my mother to take me to a psychiatrist, who suggested trying to write down what I was feeling. Sso I did, and naturally I started to notice certain words rhymed, so then it turned into like…really shit poetry haha. ANYWAY I was chilling at my cousin’s one day and he said ”ere Yosh have you heard this?” I was like 9 or 10 at the time, then he played this track and it was TUPAC – HOLLA IF YA HEAR ME. As soon as I heard the intro like ”tssh tssh ka,tssh tssh tsh ka” and TUPAC’s voice like… raging through the speaker, I just thought ”Yeah this is me”. So I started exploring hip-hop (mostly US) like Wu-Tang, Nas, Biggie, Tupac etc, etc. And started writing my own bars to their tracks. Which eventually evolved into getting L.P’S of other artists but rapping to the instrumental, onto TAPE….yeah TAPE…YOU KIDS DONT KNOW YOU’RE BORN hahah. Anyway…then I got involved in a youth project, that were taking kids in off the streets to teach them music production and recording. And then that was it. I wanna say a massive thanks to those people, because they took us off the streets and kept us out of trouble, and believed in us. When Rochdale Council were just Hell bent on destroying their youth. The workers were there voluntary…I don’t need to say more. That’s how I got into music…Hahah sorry for the essay.
The pace of your new EP ‘The Recycle Bin’ is a bit different from your older stuff; in fact in my humble opinion I’d say it was a departure from ‘Fled The Flock’. You seem a bit more relentless, and well pissed off for want of a better word. Was the change intentional?
I am pissed off…Um raging right, now but in a healthy way. (By the way ”The Recycle Bin E.P” wasn’t supposed to be an E.P, it was a few tracks I didn’t think were good enough so I just chucked ’em out). Going back to what I was saying…Yeah FLED THE FLOCK; I came from a conscious/spiritual angle and it was sort of a wasted effort really, I feel like that album will only make sense in about ten years time. If you’re not looking to ”FREE PALESTINE” in your bars then you get no love, and I have an issue with people (artists) that claim that they’re one thing..(freedom fighter, activist etc) and then you look at their timeline and they’re talking MONEY, or how hardcore they are…IF YOU CLAIM IT, BE IT. There’s too much falseness. That’s why im pulling away from that shit now…People don’t see what I’m involved in my day to day life, my career outside of music. I don’t need a microphone to claim I’m REAL. But yeah I’m taking a new direction with some awesome people who I respect and have a lot of love for and I’m being taught how to do things properly, professionally. I’m grateful.
One thing has always remained a staple within your material, is that you’re not a radio-rapper when it comes to content. For those people who aren’t aware of you, could you explain your mind frame when it comes to writing?
My brain is like a gun with no saftey, I don’t even think when I’m writing, it all comes from my heart. I don’t think ”oh shit I can’t say that” or ”people won’t feel that”. I’m not bothered. Hip-hop to me has always been my therapy, my only place I can go and say whatever I like. Life is hard at the best of times without limiting myself to what I can and can’t say in the one place I feel free. Saying that though…I am trying to be more listenable..I feel sometimes the way I come off, alienates me. But there’s always gonna be something that sparks that side of me. But it’s whatever’s on my mind or however I’m feeling. I could be talking about wanting to burn down Parliament one minute. Then in the next telling my object of desire, and how I wanna touch her hahahah there’s no limits…People need to stop worrying.
Keeping on a similar train of thought; UKHH over the last few years has a real reassurance in realistic and/or for want of a better word, political subject matter (everything is political, but you get what I mean). Even the party tracks have dropped the pseudo-American gangsta vibe, what would you attribute this to? And what are you feelings on UKHH as a whole?
In my opinion U.K hip-hop is growing up. I feel like artists have never been more serious about it. It’s not acceptable anymore to be just jumping on the mic with bullshit. All that ”bang bang”, road man, materialistic stuff is dying, and a lot of intelligence is being applied to the process. I’ve been listening and watching and it really is becoming ART. The use of words, angles, flow, to the production, mixing and mastering. A lot of time and effort and pride is being fed in. I’ve been involved a while and I’m still learning and I’m taking advice and guidance, so that my work is the best it can be. I wanna be a positive contribution to it. Not the reason it’s held back.
Going back to the political thing, British people love to bitch. We complain about everything from the weather to politics. We are an aware nation, so it’s no surprise it leaks into our music.
What’s The Liberation Squad and Anti-Swag Assembly then eh?
If I told you id have to kill you dead….hahahah!
Ahhh man right, have you got a spare week so I can explain? ANTI SWAG ASSEMBLY, basically Jister was working on an E.P called ”Anti Swag” which was basically a statement towards ”swag” and the bullshit that goes with the word. Long story short, ego, materialism etc…(you can go download that from his bandcamp btw.) Then we all started talking about it becoming a team thing like a collective, where we all support one and other, collab etc. And it just grew. Then ALEX BAILEY (boy genius) got involved and it turned into a cool friendship. THE ANTI-SWAG ASSEMBLY = a collective of artists that are anti-fad. That do their own thing regardless of fashions within mainstream hip-hop (Thanks Leddie).
LIBERATION SQUAD:
I’d been aware of the Liberation Squad for a while and had crossed paths with the founder BLACK SNOW, he’s also a very talented poet And because of certain things I spoke about and stood for, Black invited me to join. Now this is a deep subject so I’m gonna show you the mission statement and website link so you can check us out.
“
We originally set up this movement so we could educate the people on what it is they need to know in regards to LAW and our RIGHTS, and not just LAW but to understand the SOCIETY we live in, and what it is we are a part of, all too often do we wave our RIGHTS goodbye, we fail to claim what’s out there (our RIGHTS), and because of this, the police use our lack of knowledge as their advantage. There are so many RIGHTS out there that we haven’t claimed, our RIGHTS to travel, our RIGHTS to privacy, our RIGHTS to protest, and many other aspects of our RIGHTS.
It’s so important that we teach ourselves the language of the system (LEGALESE), to teach ourselves LAW (Common Law), and the difference between LAWFUL and LEGAL, to also learn the way ACTS (Statutes) work, and to also teach others what you learn yourselves, and the best things of all, is to try and act upon what you learn, learn to EMPOWER yourselves, but to always stay RESPECTFUL and HONEST in the process.”
That’s the Liberation Squad and if you’d like to know more : http://www.ngwb.co.uk/
Tell us a bit more about your fourth coming debut album?
Okay, I’m currently writng for my debut which is due for release in summer 2013, all being well. It came about when me and Alex Bailey finished the ”Positives Attract E.P”. He looked at me and said ”We could bang an album together for summer ya know”. I was like, okay let’s do it. But the thing is Alex is a professional, he takes pride in what he does and he and Leddie have encouraged me to make this a proper release…Single…Video…Everything. And it won’t be a free download. So I’m taking my time, being thorough about it. Alex is a dope producer so I’m not worried about the musical side. I just wanna be able to deliver. This album is gonna have a different sound and feel. If you always do what you did, you’ll get what you’ve always got. And I want more outta this now. I’m not gonna name drop but I’m getting some good people involved. But yeah that’s the plan…No album title has been confirmed yet and no release date.
Aside from the album dropping what are your plans for the new year?
My plans? Haha man if you want god to laugh tell Him your plans. I’m just working on myself as a human. I wanna be better. I’m hoping to keep doing positive work in my career with young people and finally finish my diploma (which gets neglected for music). I’m hoping to meet and talk movements with my Liberation Squad family. I’m looking forward to just progressing with Anti-Swag assembly because I believe w’eve got the ingredients to be great.
On a solo thing, Im looking forward to finishing this album shooting the video, and I’m hoping this coming year I step into my own and just be happy. I’ve had a lot of upheaval this year due to my own mistakes you know, we might make music and present ourselves in a certain way, but famous or not…well known or not.. we’re all human and we’ve all got real life to deal with. My plan is to be alive, well and happy.
You and Leddie and Smoggy are pretty tight, and have collaborated before, are there any plans for more of that? Or any other collabs?
I love Leddie, she’s the mother goose of Anti-Swag Assembly haha. I’ve never met Smoggy funnily enough, I hope to though! ‘ve met with Jister, Leddie and Alex. Yeah ”Ain’t No Use” was the track…To be honest it only started doing well after them two rapped on it hahah. But yeah theres A LOT more to come, some really great stuff happening at the moment, but I can’t say too much. But I will say that Leddie and Smoggy’s album is out soon, and if you sleep on it you’re making a massive mistake!! I heard like a 25 second preview and nearly hung my mic up hahah. Nah seriously it’s gonna be sick and I respect their work ethic. It’s rubbing off on me.
Last words?
Why? Am I gonna die after this interview? Haha. Erm dunno, It’s like when I’m on Twitter. I hate making my last tweet of the day anything profound, just incase I don’t wake up.(I’m weird). I just wanna say thanks to everyone who supports me (us) and all the people that show love because they don’t have to. They choose to. I wanna shout out Leddie and Smoggy, Alex Bailey, Jister. AntiSwagAssembly. I wanna send love out to my Liberation Squad family.
All the young people I work with who inspire me so much, I wanna be a positive role model to them @babbledomia she takes care of my poetry, she’s my Twitter guardian angel ha.
My family. And to people in my life that have supported me,taken care of me and loved me, even though they’re not around anymore I still wanna show love to them. There’s a million people I’d love to shout out but the page ain’t big enough. Don’t be offended! You know who you are.
Interview: Aimee
hiphoplifeandtimes 
