Montag, 25. Januar 2010
Closing this blog! Now at www.istillloveher.de
Since i`m trying to have all my work in one central place i wont use this blog anymore and post all new (and old) blog entries at www.istillloveher.de
Sonntag, 17. Januar 2010
Mittwoch, 13. Januar 2010
Day 10
The question is: how many people do I reach? I guess most of us try to reach people, try to be noticed..even appreciated. I can honestly say that i never wanted to get into music for the popularity. I do all of this because i love hip hop with all my heart and that i just dont want to waste any time with being surrounded by anything but what i love. Popularity is a perk...but its a curse at the same time.. the more popular u get, the more ppl envy you and the more ppl try to get in your business.
To me its more important to know that i reached someone with my work.. that i made a change in hip hop. That i brought real hip hop to ones ipod, airwaves, reminded them that this kind of hip hop alot of ppl claim is dead, is still amongst us, alive and well.
(Median – Strides) I want to open doors for artists who go unnoticed but deserve to be heard because of their undeniable talent. I want to break records. I want to bring balance to the media. Want to open ears and minds. Make a couple heads happy. Preferably more than a couple. In ten years from now, i want to own a label, where its not about making one hit wonders, but timeless music. Where its not about glamorous videos but substance.
I want to run a radio station...balanced out.. that all heads can turn to and listen without hearing the same song 10 times in one day.(J.Dilla – Nothing like this) „There is nothing like this“
Hip Hop has brought out the best in me, and nothing negative ever. It has motivated me, fed my creativity, saved me from depressions, made me LIVE and be ACTIVE instead of letting life pass me by. So my wish is to give back to hip hop as much as i can. To nurture it, to better it. (The Funtouchables – Say Wha?!)
Song of the Day: J.Dilla – Nothing like this … cause i`ve never felt quiet like this!
To me its more important to know that i reached someone with my work.. that i made a change in hip hop. That i brought real hip hop to ones ipod, airwaves, reminded them that this kind of hip hop alot of ppl claim is dead, is still amongst us, alive and well.
(Median – Strides) I want to open doors for artists who go unnoticed but deserve to be heard because of their undeniable talent. I want to break records. I want to bring balance to the media. Want to open ears and minds. Make a couple heads happy. Preferably more than a couple. In ten years from now, i want to own a label, where its not about making one hit wonders, but timeless music. Where its not about glamorous videos but substance.
I want to run a radio station...balanced out.. that all heads can turn to and listen without hearing the same song 10 times in one day.(J.Dilla – Nothing like this) „There is nothing like this“
Hip Hop has brought out the best in me, and nothing negative ever. It has motivated me, fed my creativity, saved me from depressions, made me LIVE and be ACTIVE instead of letting life pass me by. So my wish is to give back to hip hop as much as i can. To nurture it, to better it. (The Funtouchables – Say Wha?!)
Song of the Day: J.Dilla – Nothing like this … cause i`ve never felt quiet like this!
Montag, 11. Januar 2010
Day 8
(Blu - Therapy) yeah..so..i slipped up yesterday.. honestly, there wasnt much to talk about.. anyway.. its a new day, and i FINALLY got myself to do another "I still love H.E.R." podcast episode! its been a looooong time since i did one and i`ve felt bad about it.. I just couldnt do it anymore with the day job and all..well..its a new situtation now and i plan on doing it on the regular again. Tonights episode holds no interview, but alot of DOPE music (u know how i do ;-P).. So check it out:
http://istilllovehertheshow.mypodcast.com/2010/01/Episode_26_In_the_Midnite_Hour-274280.html
Another track i wanted to plug arrived in my inbox today.. Its by Eril L & Illingsworth, both have been on my digital undaground tapes before and they r very very talented! its a great song, so enjoy this free download and also make sure to check them out at: http://eriklillingsworth.bandcamp.com
Download/ listen to the song "Time kills" here: http://www.zshare.net/audio/7108563360549d62/
So what else has been up? I signed up for a music account on myspace for Blackreign & Ohkang (the group i manage), not that they didnt have one before (myspace.com/blackok) but i set this one up for overseas connects (Blake Eerie - Like a rock), which means i set the location to germany and will contact potential fans from germany and then other european countries.. this is also something i recommend to artists tryin to get recognized overseas.. this way the european contacts dont get lost in the huge friendslists that we all have nowadays.
I`ve also been in touch with alot of djs over here lately and they all love Blackreign&Ohkangs music, so i have no doubt they will be successful over here in due time.. (Clipse - I`m not you)
i`m starting to worry a lil bit about how i will pull this whole thing off.. when i will start seeing results..(C-Rayz Walz - Elephant Guns)..
how many of you have thought about leaving the save path and actually went for your dream? how many of you made it and how many failed?
http://istilllovehertheshow.mypodcast.com/2010/01/Episode_26_In_the_Midnite_Hour-274280.html
Another track i wanted to plug arrived in my inbox today.. Its by Eril L & Illingsworth, both have been on my digital undaground tapes before and they r very very talented! its a great song, so enjoy this free download and also make sure to check them out at: http://eriklillingsworth.bandcamp.com
Download/ listen to the song "Time kills" here: http://www.zshare.net/audio/7108563360549d62/
So what else has been up? I signed up for a music account on myspace for Blackreign & Ohkang (the group i manage), not that they didnt have one before (myspace.com/blackok) but i set this one up for overseas connects (Blake Eerie - Like a rock), which means i set the location to germany and will contact potential fans from germany and then other european countries.. this is also something i recommend to artists tryin to get recognized overseas.. this way the european contacts dont get lost in the huge friendslists that we all have nowadays.
I`ve also been in touch with alot of djs over here lately and they all love Blackreign&Ohkangs music, so i have no doubt they will be successful over here in due time.. (Clipse - I`m not you)
i`m starting to worry a lil bit about how i will pull this whole thing off.. when i will start seeing results..(C-Rayz Walz - Elephant Guns)..
how many of you have thought about leaving the save path and actually went for your dream? how many of you made it and how many failed?
Samstag, 9. Januar 2010
Day 6
22 more days...not alot at all (Amy Winehouse - You sent me flying)..i`m in a real chill mood right now...got the neo soul playin.. today was much better than the last.. i got my website stuff to work again and i also heard back from some djs about playin Blackreign & Ohkangs (the group i manage) music on their station...
ALOT of artists have asked me about how they can get over here to play some shows and i always had to tell them the same thing: if you`re not known over here, the only chance u got to tour is as an opening act with a "popular" act. either that or u need to get on ur grind and make urself known over here...thats what i`m doing with this group right now...find as many online an regular radio stations and send them ur music...make a myspace (or whatever other social network of ur choice) page in that country and hit up the potential fans directly.. u want ppl to DEMAND you..once u have created a buzz u will be able to book a few shows...and even if they dont pay well, as long as ur flight is taken care off, go over there promote ur ass off! cause overseas is where the real success is, and the real money... if u make it over here.. u will have more ppl checkin for you back home as well. another advantage is, that fans in europe are very loyal.. AND..they spend more money on music, shows and merch.. (not to speak of the dollar - euro rate..lol...european money is just worth a whole lot more) (Dilla ft Dwele - Dime piece)
well...and all of this applies only if u got some real dope music to showcase...lol.. but thats a given...
i wonder if anyone even reads this stuff? lol... anyone? hello?
Song of the day: De La Soul - Stakes is high
ALOT of artists have asked me about how they can get over here to play some shows and i always had to tell them the same thing: if you`re not known over here, the only chance u got to tour is as an opening act with a "popular" act. either that or u need to get on ur grind and make urself known over here...thats what i`m doing with this group right now...find as many online an regular radio stations and send them ur music...make a myspace (or whatever other social network of ur choice) page in that country and hit up the potential fans directly.. u want ppl to DEMAND you..once u have created a buzz u will be able to book a few shows...and even if they dont pay well, as long as ur flight is taken care off, go over there promote ur ass off! cause overseas is where the real success is, and the real money... if u make it over here.. u will have more ppl checkin for you back home as well. another advantage is, that fans in europe are very loyal.. AND..they spend more money on music, shows and merch.. (not to speak of the dollar - euro rate..lol...european money is just worth a whole lot more) (Dilla ft Dwele - Dime piece)
well...and all of this applies only if u got some real dope music to showcase...lol.. but thats a given...
i wonder if anyone even reads this stuff? lol... anyone? hello?
Song of the day: De La Soul - Stakes is high
Freitag, 8. Januar 2010
Day 5
(common - come close remix) i hate depending on ish... (i bet u have noticed by now).. but u always depend on something.. right now i depend on my website host to work (dwele - money dont mean a thing)...and it chooses..not to.. ARGH!...and i`m on my third drink and dont have any cigarettes..and who knows me knows i need cigarettes when i drink (only when i drink)...and theres a damn blizzard outside.. no chance to get to a cigarette machine.. damn it!... not my day today... been trying to upload these pictures to my website for the past 3 hrs.. no luck.. i also been messing with my itunes library for about 4 hrs now.. with 22000 songs its a lil hard to manage sometimes.. uh...totally not my day...
well at least...i had some good music guide me through the day (atmosphere - little man).. whats my jam of the day?..Consequence - Job Song... lol... no, i dont want my day job back.. HELL NO!..i`m so glad to be outta there.. and so glad to be able to just have music playin in the back all day..(Consequence - Feel this way)..
i wonder if its possible to be happy with music only..what i mean is, to not be in a relationship (friendship yes, but no romatic relationships)..i`ve been having this issue (Caltroit - Spectacular) with men pretty much ever since i started to go after my dream..music is my love..because it has always been there for me...since i was born..it has never let me down..and it never will..no matter what mindstate i`m in.. music will fit the mood.. music guides me, comforts me (AZ - Undeniable), loves me, demands me, touches me, excites me... and therfore i will never let it go or let anyone get in between... and this is hard for men to accept.. which i understand.. but...does that mean i have to choose? i`ve heard alot of artists talk about dealing with this issue..when you are THAT passionate about something you are not willing to compromise...i know i`m not...
i`m babblin today..maybe its the wine.. maybe some conversations i had earlier today that stuck with me (Big Noyd - Things done changed).. uh...not my day..really...ì will stop..its not goin anywhere tonight.. i hope yall have a good weekend.. i`m out for now...peace
well at least...i had some good music guide me through the day (atmosphere - little man).. whats my jam of the day?..Consequence - Job Song... lol... no, i dont want my day job back.. HELL NO!..i`m so glad to be outta there.. and so glad to be able to just have music playin in the back all day..(Consequence - Feel this way)..
i wonder if its possible to be happy with music only..what i mean is, to not be in a relationship (friendship yes, but no romatic relationships)..i`ve been having this issue (Caltroit - Spectacular) with men pretty much ever since i started to go after my dream..music is my love..because it has always been there for me...since i was born..it has never let me down..and it never will..no matter what mindstate i`m in.. music will fit the mood.. music guides me, comforts me (AZ - Undeniable), loves me, demands me, touches me, excites me... and therfore i will never let it go or let anyone get in between... and this is hard for men to accept.. which i understand.. but...does that mean i have to choose? i`ve heard alot of artists talk about dealing with this issue..when you are THAT passionate about something you are not willing to compromise...i know i`m not...
i`m babblin today..maybe its the wine.. maybe some conversations i had earlier today that stuck with me (Big Noyd - Things done changed).. uh...not my day..really...ì will stop..its not goin anywhere tonight.. i hope yall have a good weekend.. i`m out for now...peace
Donnerstag, 7. Januar 2010
Day 4
(No music playing)
today was a very slow day for me. Since i was working until 2am last night on the website (i hate to leave things unfinished once i really get started), I didnt wake up until 11 this morning. Which is a very unusual time for me to get up. The whole day i`ve felt kinda tired and lazy and not productive at all. I did do some more work on the website though and its almost finished. all thats missing are some pictures..and what else? hmm...thats probably it..
i did have a good convo last night with DJ Ras Cue (Cali Agents) from Oakland. He will mix the new tape I am working on, the under 21 tape, which some of you may have heard about (by the way, i`m still looking for music for that). I`m really excited to do this.. initially it was an idea by a friend of mine (yes, you mason!), who told me i should to something for the youth (or rather BY the youth) and the plans of doing a tape with artists who are all under 21 came up. I was sceptical at first because i personally cant recall any artists that young who attract my attention. So I didnt think that I would actually receive enough good music to put one whole tape together. If you know my tapes, you know that i will not put any bs on anything with my name on it! The funny thing is that during the submission progress I sent out a mass email asking for artists under 21 to send me their music, and damn, i got aloooot of negative responses.. that noone that age makes real hip hop, or what kind of stupid theme that is and so on..lol... i dont understand why ppl have to be so negative.. i mean, if thats how u feel, fine, but do u have to reflect that energy on me? while i`m trying to do something positive?
I believe this will be a great thing, and an opportunity to see and showcase where the next generation of hip hop is going. i also believe that alot of these youngens dont really receive our respect or our interest because of the souljah boy generation we see in them. But when you think about it, every generation in hip hop had a souljah boy. there was always an act that made you dance stupid and had a catchy hook that ppl got tired of after a while. so just because HE is on tv now (or whoever similar to him) doesnt mean that the whole generation is on the same bullshit. I think the exciting thing about rap music is, is that it constantly evolves and grows into different directions and we should not be so stuck in our ways and preferences but rather be openminded.
I have to admit I dont always practise what i preach. Because i feel like the balance is missing. I go to a club out here and all night long they play the SAME ish! the same "drop down on the floor, do the stanky leg, throw urself out the window" and the beats! OH MY GOD! they all sound the same! Its funny.. i got a mixtape by this dj who spins at a club i go to..i go home, pop it in, not expecting much, and damn...every beat on that tape sounded EXACTLY the same. the only way i was able to tell those songs apart was the different dance moves they were commanding you to do. other than that, it sounded like a 60 min loop... and it pisses me off, because i got sooo much underground rap that you can dance to and that got crazy, creative, outstanding beats. damn, just listen to the black milk tronic album! or at least throw the cool kids on or something..man... the weekend is about to come and i`m gonna be dealin with the same ish...
anyway...i kinda went off subject here..lol.. the point is..i am excited about the under 21 tape and i`m always happy to come out with themed tapes that you dont see everywhere else... so, be on the lookout for that one! :)
i have to get up early in the morning so i wont pull a late nighter tonight, i`m actually about to crawl into my bed..like i said, not a very productive day.. anyway, check out www.istillloveher.de if u havent.... god, i love hip hop!
today was a very slow day for me. Since i was working until 2am last night on the website (i hate to leave things unfinished once i really get started), I didnt wake up until 11 this morning. Which is a very unusual time for me to get up. The whole day i`ve felt kinda tired and lazy and not productive at all. I did do some more work on the website though and its almost finished. all thats missing are some pictures..and what else? hmm...thats probably it..
i did have a good convo last night with DJ Ras Cue (Cali Agents) from Oakland. He will mix the new tape I am working on, the under 21 tape, which some of you may have heard about (by the way, i`m still looking for music for that). I`m really excited to do this.. initially it was an idea by a friend of mine (yes, you mason!), who told me i should to something for the youth (or rather BY the youth) and the plans of doing a tape with artists who are all under 21 came up. I was sceptical at first because i personally cant recall any artists that young who attract my attention. So I didnt think that I would actually receive enough good music to put one whole tape together. If you know my tapes, you know that i will not put any bs on anything with my name on it! The funny thing is that during the submission progress I sent out a mass email asking for artists under 21 to send me their music, and damn, i got aloooot of negative responses.. that noone that age makes real hip hop, or what kind of stupid theme that is and so on..lol... i dont understand why ppl have to be so negative.. i mean, if thats how u feel, fine, but do u have to reflect that energy on me? while i`m trying to do something positive?
I believe this will be a great thing, and an opportunity to see and showcase where the next generation of hip hop is going. i also believe that alot of these youngens dont really receive our respect or our interest because of the souljah boy generation we see in them. But when you think about it, every generation in hip hop had a souljah boy. there was always an act that made you dance stupid and had a catchy hook that ppl got tired of after a while. so just because HE is on tv now (or whoever similar to him) doesnt mean that the whole generation is on the same bullshit. I think the exciting thing about rap music is, is that it constantly evolves and grows into different directions and we should not be so stuck in our ways and preferences but rather be openminded.
I have to admit I dont always practise what i preach. Because i feel like the balance is missing. I go to a club out here and all night long they play the SAME ish! the same "drop down on the floor, do the stanky leg, throw urself out the window" and the beats! OH MY GOD! they all sound the same! Its funny.. i got a mixtape by this dj who spins at a club i go to..i go home, pop it in, not expecting much, and damn...every beat on that tape sounded EXACTLY the same. the only way i was able to tell those songs apart was the different dance moves they were commanding you to do. other than that, it sounded like a 60 min loop... and it pisses me off, because i got sooo much underground rap that you can dance to and that got crazy, creative, outstanding beats. damn, just listen to the black milk tronic album! or at least throw the cool kids on or something..man... the weekend is about to come and i`m gonna be dealin with the same ish...
anyway...i kinda went off subject here..lol.. the point is..i am excited about the under 21 tape and i`m always happy to come out with themed tapes that you dont see everywhere else... so, be on the lookout for that one! :)
i have to get up early in the morning so i wont pull a late nighter tonight, i`m actually about to crawl into my bed..like i said, not a very productive day.. anyway, check out www.istillloveher.de if u havent.... god, i love hip hop!
Mittwoch, 6. Januar 2010
Day 3
(Dilated Peoples - Big Business)
I won the battle! Guess what? After the funk I was in yesterday, I pulled myself together and stayed up working til 1am. LOL.. I`m getting a feeling I can work better in the evening. I still didnt get the Reverbnation page together, but i got something better! I had been wanting to get my own website for the longest, I just never got around to it.. I have so many different pages with all my projects spread all over the internet that it only makes sense to have everything on one page. This was on my list of things to accomplish but i didnt think that i was gonna get that started so soon. Luckily, sometimes you run into situations that you didnt expect. As I did yesterday when I was online (as always lol) and a member of a hip hop group i had featured on one of my tapes before hit me up to see how i was doing. We talked for a minute and i told him about this blog. (Boot Camp Clikk - Here we come) After he had a look at it, he said that I should get a website on wordpress. I looked at the page, and thought it was a good idea (now, theres a difference between just the wordpress blog and an actual website u can create on wordpress.org). So he spent about 3 hrs talking me through getting a domain, setting up the host page and all of that (i dont know the tech lingo, so i wont try to break it down lol).. So... www.istillloveher.de is now online!! Dont get too excited and jump on that page yet..lol.. its far from finished. I have been playing around with the design all day and havent really added any content. It is pain in the ass, to be honest, but i believe itll be worth it. Well, check it out if u want to, let me know what you would like to see on there, help me develope it :-).. (C.L.Smooth - American me)
That was pretty much all I did today, but seeing as it is only 6:30pm, i will probably get some more done ;-).. Somebody will have to break down reverbnation to me, seriously..i need a (Beenie Siegel - Die) tutor..lol..
Now, to get back on the website subject..i believe it is important for any artist to have one. Myspace pages and all of the other networking sites are very useful tools to get in touch with potential fans and followers, as well as other artists. but once you have established yourself to a certain degree you will need your own website for people to go to and see what you are up to. it just gives you alot more freedom of content. i was a lil bit worried about the costs, but i actually found a free website (i will let yall know how that is working out) and the domain only cost me 17.88 $ per year. thats 0,04 $ (had to get my calculator out ha!) a day...i think we can all afford that ;-) (Boot Camp Click - Go for yours).. I know that alot of people are worried about designing the website as well, and if you dont want to pay someone to do that (which i am not) there are ways to make it easy (or at least possible) for the average pc user to get a decent design. On wordpress you have different themes you can choose from, and if you know html a lil bit, you can change the colors and even the pictures used for backgrounds and slideshows (see mine). As you see, it is not as big of a deal as alot of us make it out to be. If i can get it done, you can too! (I know my friend had to be goin crazy over my blonde moments last night HAHA)
Speaking of him, check out his group NOVA INFINITE, they are DOPE! http://novainfinite.bandcamp.com/
(Clipse - Still got it for cheap) I also had a very good conversation from a former manager from Detroit..(Hello Hubert ;-)).. he manages an incredible group that yall should check for as well http://detroitcydi.bandcamp.com/ .. and we were talking about the business and how difficult it is sometimes to get artists to understand that theres nothing wrong with following ones advise (the managers of course), and more importantly, to ask the fans what they want and deliver it to them. This does not mean that an artist is supposed to stop being creative (Common - Soul Power) or to follow a trend, but to adapt their marketing strategies to the fans wants and needs. I think a common personal issue that artists deal with is that they have a certain image of themselves which they are not willing to bend. Or a fear of loosing credibility if they do certain things a certain way. This is where you as an artist decide if you want to make music your JOB (and a job always brings rules with) or if he does it on his own terms as a hobby.
Myself, I had to realise that (especially now) I cant do everything for everyone for free, because I do want my music related work to pay my bills. Its that simple. And it really has nothing to do with selling out (Busta Rhymes - Abandon Ship), it just means that you take what you do and love seriously.
Ok, i think this is enough for today, i`m loosing my train of though lol... actually getting another online lesson right now on how to put together this website... dont forget... www.istillloveher.de .. check it out..hit me up...
Song of the day:
Common - The Hustle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsoIJdOsPUc
I won the battle! Guess what? After the funk I was in yesterday, I pulled myself together and stayed up working til 1am. LOL.. I`m getting a feeling I can work better in the evening. I still didnt get the Reverbnation page together, but i got something better! I had been wanting to get my own website for the longest, I just never got around to it.. I have so many different pages with all my projects spread all over the internet that it only makes sense to have everything on one page. This was on my list of things to accomplish but i didnt think that i was gonna get that started so soon. Luckily, sometimes you run into situations that you didnt expect. As I did yesterday when I was online (as always lol) and a member of a hip hop group i had featured on one of my tapes before hit me up to see how i was doing. We talked for a minute and i told him about this blog. (Boot Camp Clikk - Here we come) After he had a look at it, he said that I should get a website on wordpress. I looked at the page, and thought it was a good idea (now, theres a difference between just the wordpress blog and an actual website u can create on wordpress.org). So he spent about 3 hrs talking me through getting a domain, setting up the host page and all of that (i dont know the tech lingo, so i wont try to break it down lol).. So... www.istillloveher.de is now online!! Dont get too excited and jump on that page yet..lol.. its far from finished. I have been playing around with the design all day and havent really added any content. It is pain in the ass, to be honest, but i believe itll be worth it. Well, check it out if u want to, let me know what you would like to see on there, help me develope it :-).. (C.L.Smooth - American me)
That was pretty much all I did today, but seeing as it is only 6:30pm, i will probably get some more done ;-).. Somebody will have to break down reverbnation to me, seriously..i need a (Beenie Siegel - Die) tutor..lol..
Now, to get back on the website subject..i believe it is important for any artist to have one. Myspace pages and all of the other networking sites are very useful tools to get in touch with potential fans and followers, as well as other artists. but once you have established yourself to a certain degree you will need your own website for people to go to and see what you are up to. it just gives you alot more freedom of content. i was a lil bit worried about the costs, but i actually found a free website (i will let yall know how that is working out) and the domain only cost me 17.88 $ per year. thats 0,04 $ (had to get my calculator out ha!) a day...i think we can all afford that ;-) (Boot Camp Click - Go for yours).. I know that alot of people are worried about designing the website as well, and if you dont want to pay someone to do that (which i am not) there are ways to make it easy (or at least possible) for the average pc user to get a decent design. On wordpress you have different themes you can choose from, and if you know html a lil bit, you can change the colors and even the pictures used for backgrounds and slideshows (see mine). As you see, it is not as big of a deal as alot of us make it out to be. If i can get it done, you can too! (I know my friend had to be goin crazy over my blonde moments last night HAHA)
Speaking of him, check out his group NOVA INFINITE, they are DOPE! http://novainfinite.bandcamp.com/
(Clipse - Still got it for cheap) I also had a very good conversation from a former manager from Detroit..(Hello Hubert ;-)).. he manages an incredible group that yall should check for as well http://detroitcydi.bandcamp.com/ .. and we were talking about the business and how difficult it is sometimes to get artists to understand that theres nothing wrong with following ones advise (the managers of course), and more importantly, to ask the fans what they want and deliver it to them. This does not mean that an artist is supposed to stop being creative (Common - Soul Power) or to follow a trend, but to adapt their marketing strategies to the fans wants and needs. I think a common personal issue that artists deal with is that they have a certain image of themselves which they are not willing to bend. Or a fear of loosing credibility if they do certain things a certain way. This is where you as an artist decide if you want to make music your JOB (and a job always brings rules with) or if he does it on his own terms as a hobby.
Myself, I had to realise that (especially now) I cant do everything for everyone for free, because I do want my music related work to pay my bills. Its that simple. And it really has nothing to do with selling out (Busta Rhymes - Abandon Ship), it just means that you take what you do and love seriously.
Ok, i think this is enough for today, i`m loosing my train of though lol... actually getting another online lesson right now on how to put together this website... dont forget... www.istillloveher.de .. check it out..hit me up...
Song of the day:
Common - The Hustle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsoIJdOsPUc
Dienstag, 5. Januar 2010
Day 2
(Sidenote: I included a lil soundtrack of whats playin on my ipod as i write this)
I`m not gonna tell yall any bullshit on here. I wont try to make myself sound better than i am. this is real. its real life and i am a real person. and i want people to see how this really works/or doesnt work..
well...lets see..i got up today, for day two.. and its so nice to get up on ur own time. i dont sleep that long naturally but i hate being waken up by an alarm clock. So just to wake up whenever i do, is beautiful.. So i have breakfast, work out for a min and get in the shower. After that I sit down in front of my computer, ready to get to work.. I made a list yesterday of things I need to do within the next weeks, so I look at the list and see what i can get done today. (Busta - Woo Hah Jay Dee Rmx) The list is long as hell and alot of the stuff i am not sure how to go about. Like this event i am planning, i have to write up a proposal for it.. Nowadays, whenever u need to do something that you have no idea how to, you google it, right? And i cant find ish on this! Maybe on american google but that wont help me cause german even proposals are probably different. So I just had to come up with something from scratch.. And it worries me because I dont want to look like an amature..(which i am, when it comes to event planning, unless u wanna count parties at my house haha).. I been planning to do a Digital Undaground event, based on the mixtape series.. Over here in Germany, its hard to find a nice hip hop party to go to on the weekend, unless its a live show.. everything here, as far as nightlife, is lil jon, souljah boy bs.. they just dont get that u can dance to a black milk joint just as hard..
anyway..dont let me get off track here.. i finished the proposal, not sure if its good at all and i`m waiting on this guy who works at the (AZ - Game of Life) venue I wanna throw it at.. havent heard from him in like 3 weeks..thats one thing i cant stand about the entertainment biz. u always gotta be on ppls asses if u wanna get something done. The ideal situation is when you can do it all by urself and dont have to rely on anyone..but...thats hardly ever the case..so now thats on ice, cause i gotta wait on him... so i move on to the next task... gettin myself on as many networking / music websites as possible. Let me tell you, networking is the most important part of this biz! If you dont network, you might as well quit. Cause no one will check for u if u dont put urself out there and approach ppl! alot of artists dont understand that and therfore fail. You can have the best flow/sound in the world, if ppl dont hear about u, u`ll die unknown.
So i`m on reverbnation today, trying to figure this thing out.. And i dont even know what to sign up as..lol..i do mixtapes..radio..i manage..i`m a fan..a supporter (Black Ice - Lone Soldier)..I do a whole lot of things, so to limit myself by checking only one of those little boxes that is gonna define my status? not feelin that... (Clipse - There was a murder)..well, eventually i went with "manager" cause i guess thatll give me a chance to include my mixtapes and radio show as well..
i`m pretty good with computers and the internet, but damn..i cant figure this website out..lol..and it frustrates me.. ALOT..so, i didnt finish up my page on there yet..i keep going back, but its a pain in the ass.. but its something that needs to be done..
Next time on my list was getting a list of dj contacts to send my groups music to.. i wish there was one big website that had a whole lot of djs on it.. or something where artists could just drop off their music and djs could pick it up if they liked it..hmm...sounds like an idea... or anyone know a site like that already? (De La Soul - The Bizness 2009 remake) it took me about an hour to find about 15 german online underground hip hop stations and their contacts... i need an assistent...asap..lol.. ish like that just takes up too much time!
i`m in a lil funk today..i keep thinking about takin a "break" and sit down and watch some tv...but i know if i do that i wont get back to work.. i`m having a battle with myself about work ethics today..but as u see, i`m still here.. at my desk.. workin on 2 computers at the same time..lol.. god, i hope this pays off one day..lol.. so whats next? i guess i need to hit up reverbnation again... any websites yall recommend? I`m out for now..be back tomorrow...wish me luck, dont want my lazy half to win the battle!
Song of the day: Dead Prez - Discipline
I`m not gonna tell yall any bullshit on here. I wont try to make myself sound better than i am. this is real. its real life and i am a real person. and i want people to see how this really works/or doesnt work..
well...lets see..i got up today, for day two.. and its so nice to get up on ur own time. i dont sleep that long naturally but i hate being waken up by an alarm clock. So just to wake up whenever i do, is beautiful.. So i have breakfast, work out for a min and get in the shower. After that I sit down in front of my computer, ready to get to work.. I made a list yesterday of things I need to do within the next weeks, so I look at the list and see what i can get done today. (Busta - Woo Hah Jay Dee Rmx) The list is long as hell and alot of the stuff i am not sure how to go about. Like this event i am planning, i have to write up a proposal for it.. Nowadays, whenever u need to do something that you have no idea how to, you google it, right? And i cant find ish on this! Maybe on american google but that wont help me cause german even proposals are probably different. So I just had to come up with something from scratch.. And it worries me because I dont want to look like an amature..(which i am, when it comes to event planning, unless u wanna count parties at my house haha).. I been planning to do a Digital Undaground event, based on the mixtape series.. Over here in Germany, its hard to find a nice hip hop party to go to on the weekend, unless its a live show.. everything here, as far as nightlife, is lil jon, souljah boy bs.. they just dont get that u can dance to a black milk joint just as hard..
anyway..dont let me get off track here.. i finished the proposal, not sure if its good at all and i`m waiting on this guy who works at the (AZ - Game of Life) venue I wanna throw it at.. havent heard from him in like 3 weeks..thats one thing i cant stand about the entertainment biz. u always gotta be on ppls asses if u wanna get something done. The ideal situation is when you can do it all by urself and dont have to rely on anyone..but...thats hardly ever the case..so now thats on ice, cause i gotta wait on him... so i move on to the next task... gettin myself on as many networking / music websites as possible. Let me tell you, networking is the most important part of this biz! If you dont network, you might as well quit. Cause no one will check for u if u dont put urself out there and approach ppl! alot of artists dont understand that and therfore fail. You can have the best flow/sound in the world, if ppl dont hear about u, u`ll die unknown.
So i`m on reverbnation today, trying to figure this thing out.. And i dont even know what to sign up as..lol..i do mixtapes..radio..i manage..i`m a fan..a supporter (Black Ice - Lone Soldier)..I do a whole lot of things, so to limit myself by checking only one of those little boxes that is gonna define my status? not feelin that... (Clipse - There was a murder)..well, eventually i went with "manager" cause i guess thatll give me a chance to include my mixtapes and radio show as well..
i`m pretty good with computers and the internet, but damn..i cant figure this website out..lol..and it frustrates me.. ALOT..so, i didnt finish up my page on there yet..i keep going back, but its a pain in the ass.. but its something that needs to be done..
Next time on my list was getting a list of dj contacts to send my groups music to.. i wish there was one big website that had a whole lot of djs on it.. or something where artists could just drop off their music and djs could pick it up if they liked it..hmm...sounds like an idea... or anyone know a site like that already? (De La Soul - The Bizness 2009 remake) it took me about an hour to find about 15 german online underground hip hop stations and their contacts... i need an assistent...asap..lol.. ish like that just takes up too much time!
i`m in a lil funk today..i keep thinking about takin a "break" and sit down and watch some tv...but i know if i do that i wont get back to work.. i`m having a battle with myself about work ethics today..but as u see, i`m still here.. at my desk.. workin on 2 computers at the same time..lol.. god, i hope this pays off one day..lol.. so whats next? i guess i need to hit up reverbnation again... any websites yall recommend? I`m out for now..be back tomorrow...wish me luck, dont want my lazy half to win the battle!
Song of the day: Dead Prez - Discipline
Montag, 4. Januar 2010
Ever since I can remember music has been the center of my life. As a child I recorded mixtapes on my parents stereo. I spent hours sitting in the living room with headphones on which were way too big for my head. When I was a teenager and going through the typical puberty crisis, depressions, rebellious behaviour, authority resentment.. it was music that kept me sane.. It was music that made me learn english at 9 years old. And at the age of 15 it was graffiti that introduced me to Hip Hop culture. It was Graffiti, then Breakdance, then Writing and Rapping. It was Hip Hop who gave me an opportunity to be active, to find me, to become an individual instead of a follower, made me stay away from the dumb stuff I could`ve gotten myself into. It gave me a purpose, a new outlook on life.. And ever since then I knew there was nothing that would make me happier than making music my job, being surrounded by Hip Hop 24/7, nothing could beat that. Hip Hop is my baby, and I am hers, its a love that noone could ever come between. And although that is hard for alot of people to accept or even understand, it will never change.
I had a 9-5 for the past four and a half years and got my degree in a few business oriented subjects. I did it because it was the „smart“ thing to do. Because it was expected from me. Because my parents and society pushed me towards it. It wasnt a bad thing to do, because at least I will always have something to go back to and I also learned alot about life and work and myself within those years. But it never made me happy. During the past year I was miserable. Looking at that clock on the wall, counting the minutes, counting the days and weeks until it would finally be over. Although I always knew that the only job i would be able to live with long term was music, I was scared to make that step. That step out of the safe zone. To jump into an uncertain future. I know I have everything it takes to make it in the industry. I have the right ideas, the ambition, the passion, the will, the connections, the knowledge.. Its all there. But at the same time, there are alot of people who are dying to be in that same industry. And you dont know how long it will take until you are able to support yourself by doing it. You dont even know if it will ever happen. So I was scared for a long time, but my dream never died. And for the past years I have always spent the time besides my day job (and alot of hours at that job as well) working towards that dream. I did journalism, my radio show, going on three mixtape series (with seven tapes so far), working with artists, founding a movement, and soon will be signing a management deal with a group I couldnt be more excited about. I did all of this with only few hours. So imagine what I can do with a full day, seven days a week, 365 a year. I know I can do it. I just need to find the right way in.
So this is where I stand now. My work contract ended December 31st. I celebrated the beginning of a new path in my life on New Years Eve. Today, January 4th is officially my first day working for myself. And it feels great. Although theres still fear, uncertainty, I know that I can do this, I know that I will. I welcome you to walk besides me on this journey, to watch, to learn, to advise, to help.. whatever you choose to do with it, you`re welcome. I will write on this blog every day to sort my thoughts, to talk about my experiences, about the progress made or not made. And I have set a countdown for myself of 31 days. Of course I cant become what I want to become within a month, but it will be enough to see if I CAN get there in the future.
I am excited... and I love Hip Hop more than anything for giving me this excitement about life, for letting me feel this unconditional love. With that said, lets get to work!
Song of the day:
Outkast - Git up Git out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1_Qfk24jQE
I had a 9-5 for the past four and a half years and got my degree in a few business oriented subjects. I did it because it was the „smart“ thing to do. Because it was expected from me. Because my parents and society pushed me towards it. It wasnt a bad thing to do, because at least I will always have something to go back to and I also learned alot about life and work and myself within those years. But it never made me happy. During the past year I was miserable. Looking at that clock on the wall, counting the minutes, counting the days and weeks until it would finally be over. Although I always knew that the only job i would be able to live with long term was music, I was scared to make that step. That step out of the safe zone. To jump into an uncertain future. I know I have everything it takes to make it in the industry. I have the right ideas, the ambition, the passion, the will, the connections, the knowledge.. Its all there. But at the same time, there are alot of people who are dying to be in that same industry. And you dont know how long it will take until you are able to support yourself by doing it. You dont even know if it will ever happen. So I was scared for a long time, but my dream never died. And for the past years I have always spent the time besides my day job (and alot of hours at that job as well) working towards that dream. I did journalism, my radio show, going on three mixtape series (with seven tapes so far), working with artists, founding a movement, and soon will be signing a management deal with a group I couldnt be more excited about. I did all of this with only few hours. So imagine what I can do with a full day, seven days a week, 365 a year. I know I can do it. I just need to find the right way in.
So this is where I stand now. My work contract ended December 31st. I celebrated the beginning of a new path in my life on New Years Eve. Today, January 4th is officially my first day working for myself. And it feels great. Although theres still fear, uncertainty, I know that I can do this, I know that I will. I welcome you to walk besides me on this journey, to watch, to learn, to advise, to help.. whatever you choose to do with it, you`re welcome. I will write on this blog every day to sort my thoughts, to talk about my experiences, about the progress made or not made. And I have set a countdown for myself of 31 days. Of course I cant become what I want to become within a month, but it will be enough to see if I CAN get there in the future.
I am excited... and I love Hip Hop more than anything for giving me this excitement about life, for letting me feel this unconditional love. With that said, lets get to work!
Song of the day:
Outkast - Git up Git out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1_Qfk24jQE
Donnerstag, 24. Dezember 2009
Mittwoch, 28. Oktober 2009
Interview CunninLynguists (Throwback)
March 08
WANJA: It’s been 7 years since you released "Will rap for food". How much has your lifestyle changed since the "starving artists" days?
KNO: Besides being filthy fucking rich, not much (laughs).
WANJA: So could you still come out with an album with that title?
KNO: It would probably be "Rap for caviar". We’ll rap for really expensive sandwiches (laughs). Nah, I guess we could. It’s all the same. Money is money. We’re not rich or nothing.
WANJA: How much more money do u make with "Dirty Acres" than with "Will rap for food"?
DEACON: Each of our albums outsold the previous one.
KNO: Yeah, every album we put out sells more than the last, which not many rap groups can say that now, even independent, major, whoever. And we own pretty much all of our masters which allows us to make money off of digital sales, like iTunes, iTunes Europe, anywhere where you can buy digital, a lot of people buy digital music. So we get a check every month from those sales.
DEACON: When we had done "Will rap for food" we toured the whole nation and came home with about 200 $ to split. Now we split a whole lot more than 200 $..
WANJA: So what do you expect from "Dirty Acres" now? Not just money wise..
DEACON: I think it will please our old fans, especially the fans who stuck with us past "A piece of strange". From "Southernunderground" to "A piece of strange" it was a dramatic change as far as what we were presenting. But from "A piece of strange" to "Dirty Acres" we feel that the chemistry is still kind of the same, it’s like we found our groove.
KNO: A lot of people who got past "A piece of strange" will like "Dirty Acres", but it will also gain a lot of new fans. Like I said, every album has outsold the previous one. We’ve also been here in Europe a lot because I find that, for whatever reason, people just seem to be more open minded about what we are doing, they are just like "If it’s good, it’s good. If it’s bad, it’s bad" and all they hear is good music. Like in the US we’ll get a lot more people saying "Will rap for food, man! You should do the old shit!" It’s not that people don’t like it that album out here, but people here appreciate "A piece of strange" just as much. The US is real divisive; it’s either commercial, or underground. So if you’re trying to do just good music and it sounds a certain way to them, then they’re not going to like it because they don’t listen to it for musical purposes, they listen for status purposes. If it doesn’t fit their criteria of what underground rap is to them, even if it’s good, they’re not as open, as I found, as people in Europe.
WANJA: How do you feel about that comparison? Not just the comparison with other groups, but also of your old records to your new records?
KNO: I mean, I always say that rap fans are the biggest critics out there. As soon as something new drops they’ll say "This isn’t better than the old shit!" They didn’t even listen to it, they just skipped through it and say "You should make the old shit!". Go listen to the old shit then! That’s why we made those records. Music is forever! If that’s what you want to hear, go and listen it. It’s that simple. Music is a moment in time, so take it for what it is. That moment is what we’re feeling, that’s what we’re going through. You can never recreate that; you shouldn’t expect an artist to recreate that. People got into us because we were honest. People listened to "Will rap for food" because it was honest music. If "A piece of strange" and "Dirty Acres" is honest music, then keep listening. Or don’t, if you don’t actually like it. That’s the problem with a lot of these people. It’s not that it’s bad music, it just isn’t what they want to hear. They want us to do battle rap, they want us to do Jedi Mind Tricks.. And we don’t do that too much anymore, because we’re getting old. I don’t want to be 38, talking about "I’m better than you..i’m the sickest.." You’re 35, talking about ripping peoples spines out. People change, so if you make honest music, and not just making music for the sake of it, or making a type of music, then as you change, your music will change.
DEACON: And not to say, that we don’t respect what they want us to do. We might come out any given time with exactly what they want to hear, if that’s what we feel like making.
KNO: We don’t make music for fans, and some fans don’t like to hear that. People got into us because we were honest to ourselves. We made music we wanted to hear and other people happened to like it. And the best artists, that’s what they do. If you pander, you might as well be selling out. If I’m going to pander to people, if I’m going to make what you want to hear I might as well (starting to do the "Soulja Boy" dance). I might as well do that and get paid. I’m not going to pander to a bunch of underground heads that aren’t going to buy the record anyway. It just so happens that they like the earlier stuff. We’re going to make whatever we feel like making, and if they like it, they like it. If they don’t, they don’t. But we happen to make good music and I don’t think we’ll ever make a bad record because we have that talent, so I’m not really concerned with that.
WANJA: Let’s talk about the new record. Who did most of the production on there, was that all you, Kno?
KNO: I did all of it.
WANJA: For some reason, your beats reminded me a lot of Quentin Tarantino movies.
DEACON: That’s because Samuel Jackson was doing all of our adlibs in the back (laughs).
WANJA: (laughs) So what influences you, when you pick samples and put your beats together?
KNO: Quentin Tarantino films (laughs). Nah, I mean, honestly, it just totally depends on where we decide to go with the record to begin with. "A piece of strange" was definitely different from this record. We wanted to encapsulate the southern portion of the United States onto an album, at least from their view (pointing at Deacon and Natti), because they rap the most. I mean, I’m from the south, technically but I don’t really rap like that, I mostly do beats. I don’t really think I draw inspiration from anywhere, I draw inspiration from them (Deacon & Natti). I just listen to them talk, I listen to what their stories are. Until 2004, I didn’t live around them. I met Deacon when I lived around him, but he moved away soon after, like in 2001/2002. I was around him for like 6 – 8 months, we didn’t even finish "Will rap for food" when he moved back to Kentucky, so we had to commute back and forth to finish that record. And when you’re working like that, when you’re not around a person, you don’t know them.
DEACON: Basically, we had just met back then.
KNO: Yeah. So the first two records it’s not Natti, it’s not Deacon, it was just rap. I didn’t know how they lived, what their family life was like or anything like that. And you can’t cater a sound to somebody unless you know them. So I think with "Dirty Acres", musically, I’m just inspired by them because I’m able to see how they live and make a sound for them. That’s not to say that the next record is going to sound the same, because it’s not, the next record is going to be on some totally other shit.
DEACON: I feel like it’ll be more us than any other record before.
WANJA: You’ll know each other even better than now..
KNO: And the new record that we’re doing is a concept record. Everything we’ve always said about what Kentucky Hip Hop is what we’re going to do. But it’s not going to be a southern record. It’s going to be like our influences on the record.
WANJA: Back to your current album. The first track on "Dirty Acres", you’re speaking about how Hip Hop is immortal. Did you feel like you had to respond to the whole "Hip Hop is dead" phrase?
DEACON: No, it was more addressing to how people specifically try to act sometimes like the south is what’s killing Hip Hop. We’re like, "No!". Hip Hop is the most alive in the south, even if it’s just through us.
KNO: There’s wack music coming out of everywhere. Don’t act like Kid-N-Play wouldn’t have done the Soulja Boy. So why is it not ok now when a 17 year old kid is dancing? I don’t like Souljah Boy like that though..
WANJA: I think the problem is more that it’s so over saturated right now..
KNO: Oh, too much of it, yeah. Actually, that’s my problem, there’s no balance.
DEACON: But at the same time, there was a time in the early 90s when everything in the charts was shit like "The tootsie roll", people were doing the Bart Simpson, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice. Rappers Delight, Sugar Hill Gang, they started at a party. I mean, that’s how Hip Hop started.
KNO: People like to have fun and people will always like to dance. So that has nothing to do with killing Hip Hop. So for GZA to go on stage and be complaining about Soulja Boy, that’s stupid. I like GZA, I respect GZA..
WANJA: He did that?
KNO: Yeah, it was all over YouTube. I just feel like you should make your music, and not be concerned with other shit. If you make quality music, you will shine, the cream will rise to the top. It’s a cliché, but it’s true. If you make good music, people will listen to it. So don’t be mad because Soulja Boy is dancing all around. Let the motherfucker dance all around. It doesn’t affect me.
DEACON: He probably wont be dancing next year..
KNO: Yeah, exactly. And that’s his problem, not ours. But he’ll probably still be richer than us (laughs)..
WANJA: Since we’re talking about the music that’s coming out of the south, with people like him being very popular now, I’m wondering what does your fan base in the south look like, what kind of fans do you have there?
KNO: It’s different (laughs).. I mean, honestly, it’s even tough for us to get a show in the south, not just for us. But basically, if you’re not famous or you’re not doing something on that level and you’re not making snap records and stuff..
DEACON: Besides that, the south is like the poorest area of the nation. So when we can go to Colorado and get like 2000 – 3000 $ a show, there’s no way for somebody in the south to be able to afford to pay that.
KNO: Don’t get it twisted. We can do a show in the south, but we’re not going to get paid for it, so we’re not going to do it.
DEACON: They would have to charge 7 $ at the door versus 25 $.
KNO: We do free shows in our area. Like we’ll do area stuff for real low, but I’m not going to go down to Miami for a door split. When we can go to Colorado and get 3000 guaranteed. I mean, we have fans over there and I like and respect them. Thank you Miami for listening to our music (laughs)! But if the promoters are bullshitting we’re not going to come there. You can’t expect us to come out of pocket to go there. People always ask us "Why don’t you come to Canada more often?" Tell the promoters to get on their job, know what I mean?
WANJA: There’s still a high racial tension in the south, I think more than in the rest of the US, right?
KNO: Yes, there is. But I put it like this; latent racism in the US is a much bigger problem now than blatant racism. Which means, because there’s such an emphasis of being politically correct, that people are latently racists. So we have a situation where we might miss out on the first black president because of Ohio, not because of Georgia, you see what I’m saying? It’s the steal belt not the bible belt that’s fucking it up. It’s racist white people in Pennsylvania and Ohio and stuff like that, the latent racism that they don’t really talk about. Things have changed. There aren’t motherfuckers running around with white sheets anymore in the south but there’s still plenty of racism, it’s just different now than it used to be.
WANJA: Kno, how was it for you to grow up in the south as a white kid that’s loving Hip Hop?
KNO: You know what? I would never complain, because whatever I had to go through was something I had to go through. I didn’t feel like "Poor me, I listen to Hip Hop and every once in a while white guys beat me up because of it".
DEACON: It’s probably no worse than for Eminem in Detroit.
KNO: One of the most annoying things to me is white rappers talking about reversed racism. I feel like, shut the fuck up and go make some rock music! I’m not going to say no names, he knows exactly who I’m talking about too (laughs). "I’m a white rapper, people don’t like me because I’m white.." Shut the fuck up and go make some punk rock.
WANJA: Maybe you can tell me after the interview who you are talking about (laughs)..
KNO: Yeah, off the record. And no offence to the person. But I feel like, it’s Hip Hop! And this person is old, older than me, he’s in his 30s..
WANJA: You have a lot of political or thought provoking tracks on your album, like the title song "Dirty Acres". If you could put a bunch of people in a room and make them listen to those tracks, who would it be?
DEACON: The thought provoking ones? Everybody, Oprah, Imus…
KNO: I don’t think that the people who need to hear it can follow rap music. A lot of people would really need to…George Bush. But he would probably be like "What the hell you talking about? It’s too fast, I cant understand. Condoleezza, can you tell me what they’re saying?" (laughs). They cant follow rap music, so fuck it.
WANJA: Do you feel like the lack of thought provoking music in the charts is a reflection of the lack of intellect of the youth?
DEACON: Definitely!
KNO: Yes.
WANJA: And do you think that will ever change?
KNO: Hell no. We’re getting dumber and dumber.
DEACON: Idiocracy!
KNO: Have you seen that movie, Idiocracy? Basically, everybody’s getting more and more stupid because only stupid people are having kids. Because the smart people are working really hard (laughs).
WANJA: So who do you think can relate to your music? Only the smart people and grown folks?
DEACON: We’re just getting to a point where people who really like our music are just true music lovers. People who aren’t necessarily Hip Hop or rap fans. They might go hear us play one week and then the next week go and hear BB King, Norah Jones or somebody. They are just music lovers in general. They’ll go from Gnarls Barkley straight to Depeche Mode.
KNO: We got a "one out of five" for "A piece of strange" in a Swedish rap magazine because it wasn’t "boom bapy" enough. We weren’t getting our Boot Camp Clik on anymore. That shit was "Boombap.com" or some shit. They were just like "They need to go back to the old stuff, this is horrible!".. I feel like, eat a dick! I’m not concerned with it..
DEACON: We’re quick to get a "one out of five" in a rap magazine and then a "five out of five" in a music magazine like Rolling Stone.
KNO: We got As in Spin Magazine and stuff like that. But rap magazines don’t really cover us too much. We’ve been in the Source once or twice, but that’s just from favours, hook ups. We might know a writer up there. Its like, we don’t really get respect from our peers, we have a huge fan base world wide, but when it comes to "rap-rappers", they don’t really fuck with us like that. Because we just make music, we don’t make rap or hip hop, we make music!
WANJA: I’ve seen you perform live a couple times last year and I was impressed with your show because I think you put a lot of thought into it, you have concept shows, where a lot of rap artists just go on stage and rap. How important is that to you?
DEACON: We don’t love performing. We love making music. But we take performance serious. We know that people want to see that presentation, they want to connect with us as people in front of their faces. Nobody wants to come to a show and just hear the CD live. It’d be different if we had a whole live band but if you’re just three guys on stage with a CD Player, how exciting is that?
KNO: We at least just try to connect. Because at the end of the day people won’t really buy music anymore, people come to shows but they don’t come to shows to see you standing there. You got to do something outstanding. Believe me, there’s a million things we’d like to do but we just can’t afford it. If we were on Kanyes level then we’d be doing some crazy shit with our shows, because we have great ideas. We have excellent ideas, just not the doe.
WANJA: Kno, do you plan on making a producers album?
KNO: Hell no!
WANJA: Why not?
KNO: Because I hate rappers (laughs). Again, we don’t get respect from our peers like that. There are very few people who reach out to us.
DEACON: You reach out to somebody and tell them "Hey, I’d like to give you a free beat" and they r like "2000 $ and I’ll send you a 16".
KNO: 2000 $ for a 16 bar verse! I’m like, who the fuck are you? I sold more records than you, I toured the whole world and you’re over here in Michigan, chilling, making mix tapes and take care of your 4 kids (laughs)..
WANJA: But you’ve produced for quite a lot of people, right?
KNO: Well, how many rappers are there? The people we worked with is the small amount of people who were cool when we met them. We always approach who we respect, we always try to be cool with them.
DEACON: Some of those people we produced for, they might pop up on some of our own stuff. Like Devin, we got a beat to him and then he jumped on our project. Same with Witchdoctor. We’ve done a lot of shows with Little Brother, they got on our project. We produced for Lil Scrappy, KRS-One, artists like that are on a whole different level, it’s not easy to reach them..
KNO: Here’s the thing. Underground rappers are assholes. Mainstream rappers are pretty cool. I don’t know if they are broke and mad. I don’t know what it is. So we only have access to rappers to a certain extend. I can’t just go to someone like Ludacris and ask him to jump on one of our tracks.
DEACON: Even if Kno was to do a producers album. Let’s say he produced a track for Lil Scrappy, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, KRS-One. We’d rather have those songs on their albums; they would have more impact on their projects with their budget. Look at Timbaland. He had to push the hell out of his singles for "Shock volume" to sell. And that’s Timbaland! That’s his third producers’ album. Most people can’t even name the ones before. We can’t even name them.
WANJA: Kno and Deacon, you two also have a production group together. How often do you produce songs together?
DEACON: We work every day.
WANJA: But why didn’t you make beats for "Dirty Acres" together?
DEACON: The CunninLynguists sound to me is in that man (pointing at Kno). When I met Kno he was like "I got beats, you got rhymes. Lets put them together." And that’s what started the CunninLynguists sound. Here and there I’ll play some keys on something but he’s going to be the one to chop it up and choose where to place them. He’s going to produce it. I’m just another studio musician in his studio when it comes to CunninLynguists.
WANJA: What are you working on now? You mentioned the new album, a concept album. What can we expect from that?
KNO: Can’t expect anything. It’s a concept record but we’re not ready to announce anything. We got probably like 5 beats and a couple songs. It’ll probably come out by the end of the year or the beginning of the next year.
WANJA: Are yall working on anything else besides that? Any solo stuff?
KNO: Yeah, Natti is working on some solo stuff that we’re producing. And we have a manager that works for Warner Bros music who shops our beats. To be honest with you, the only time we’re really working on CunninLynguists stuff is when we’re on tour or when we’re working on an album specifically. Other than that, CunninLynguists isn’t our job really. We don’t have day jobs but when we work on music we’re trying to get songs on video games or commercials and we’re trying to make money. This is the creative side to us. When that’s more the job side. You got to have a backup plan. You cant be a rapper until you’re 40. I’m not trying to be a 40-year-old touring rapper (laughs).
WANJA: It’s been 7 years since you released "Will rap for food". How much has your lifestyle changed since the "starving artists" days?
KNO: Besides being filthy fucking rich, not much (laughs).
WANJA: So could you still come out with an album with that title?
KNO: It would probably be "Rap for caviar". We’ll rap for really expensive sandwiches (laughs). Nah, I guess we could. It’s all the same. Money is money. We’re not rich or nothing.
WANJA: How much more money do u make with "Dirty Acres" than with "Will rap for food"?
DEACON: Each of our albums outsold the previous one.
KNO: Yeah, every album we put out sells more than the last, which not many rap groups can say that now, even independent, major, whoever. And we own pretty much all of our masters which allows us to make money off of digital sales, like iTunes, iTunes Europe, anywhere where you can buy digital, a lot of people buy digital music. So we get a check every month from those sales.
DEACON: When we had done "Will rap for food" we toured the whole nation and came home with about 200 $ to split. Now we split a whole lot more than 200 $..
WANJA: So what do you expect from "Dirty Acres" now? Not just money wise..
DEACON: I think it will please our old fans, especially the fans who stuck with us past "A piece of strange". From "Southernunderground" to "A piece of strange" it was a dramatic change as far as what we were presenting. But from "A piece of strange" to "Dirty Acres" we feel that the chemistry is still kind of the same, it’s like we found our groove.
KNO: A lot of people who got past "A piece of strange" will like "Dirty Acres", but it will also gain a lot of new fans. Like I said, every album has outsold the previous one. We’ve also been here in Europe a lot because I find that, for whatever reason, people just seem to be more open minded about what we are doing, they are just like "If it’s good, it’s good. If it’s bad, it’s bad" and all they hear is good music. Like in the US we’ll get a lot more people saying "Will rap for food, man! You should do the old shit!" It’s not that people don’t like it that album out here, but people here appreciate "A piece of strange" just as much. The US is real divisive; it’s either commercial, or underground. So if you’re trying to do just good music and it sounds a certain way to them, then they’re not going to like it because they don’t listen to it for musical purposes, they listen for status purposes. If it doesn’t fit their criteria of what underground rap is to them, even if it’s good, they’re not as open, as I found, as people in Europe.
WANJA: How do you feel about that comparison? Not just the comparison with other groups, but also of your old records to your new records?
KNO: I mean, I always say that rap fans are the biggest critics out there. As soon as something new drops they’ll say "This isn’t better than the old shit!" They didn’t even listen to it, they just skipped through it and say "You should make the old shit!". Go listen to the old shit then! That’s why we made those records. Music is forever! If that’s what you want to hear, go and listen it. It’s that simple. Music is a moment in time, so take it for what it is. That moment is what we’re feeling, that’s what we’re going through. You can never recreate that; you shouldn’t expect an artist to recreate that. People got into us because we were honest. People listened to "Will rap for food" because it was honest music. If "A piece of strange" and "Dirty Acres" is honest music, then keep listening. Or don’t, if you don’t actually like it. That’s the problem with a lot of these people. It’s not that it’s bad music, it just isn’t what they want to hear. They want us to do battle rap, they want us to do Jedi Mind Tricks.. And we don’t do that too much anymore, because we’re getting old. I don’t want to be 38, talking about "I’m better than you..i’m the sickest.." You’re 35, talking about ripping peoples spines out. People change, so if you make honest music, and not just making music for the sake of it, or making a type of music, then as you change, your music will change.
DEACON: And not to say, that we don’t respect what they want us to do. We might come out any given time with exactly what they want to hear, if that’s what we feel like making.
KNO: We don’t make music for fans, and some fans don’t like to hear that. People got into us because we were honest to ourselves. We made music we wanted to hear and other people happened to like it. And the best artists, that’s what they do. If you pander, you might as well be selling out. If I’m going to pander to people, if I’m going to make what you want to hear I might as well (starting to do the "Soulja Boy" dance). I might as well do that and get paid. I’m not going to pander to a bunch of underground heads that aren’t going to buy the record anyway. It just so happens that they like the earlier stuff. We’re going to make whatever we feel like making, and if they like it, they like it. If they don’t, they don’t. But we happen to make good music and I don’t think we’ll ever make a bad record because we have that talent, so I’m not really concerned with that.
WANJA: Let’s talk about the new record. Who did most of the production on there, was that all you, Kno?
KNO: I did all of it.
WANJA: For some reason, your beats reminded me a lot of Quentin Tarantino movies.
DEACON: That’s because Samuel Jackson was doing all of our adlibs in the back (laughs).
WANJA: (laughs) So what influences you, when you pick samples and put your beats together?
KNO: Quentin Tarantino films (laughs). Nah, I mean, honestly, it just totally depends on where we decide to go with the record to begin with. "A piece of strange" was definitely different from this record. We wanted to encapsulate the southern portion of the United States onto an album, at least from their view (pointing at Deacon and Natti), because they rap the most. I mean, I’m from the south, technically but I don’t really rap like that, I mostly do beats. I don’t really think I draw inspiration from anywhere, I draw inspiration from them (Deacon & Natti). I just listen to them talk, I listen to what their stories are. Until 2004, I didn’t live around them. I met Deacon when I lived around him, but he moved away soon after, like in 2001/2002. I was around him for like 6 – 8 months, we didn’t even finish "Will rap for food" when he moved back to Kentucky, so we had to commute back and forth to finish that record. And when you’re working like that, when you’re not around a person, you don’t know them.
DEACON: Basically, we had just met back then.
KNO: Yeah. So the first two records it’s not Natti, it’s not Deacon, it was just rap. I didn’t know how they lived, what their family life was like or anything like that. And you can’t cater a sound to somebody unless you know them. So I think with "Dirty Acres", musically, I’m just inspired by them because I’m able to see how they live and make a sound for them. That’s not to say that the next record is going to sound the same, because it’s not, the next record is going to be on some totally other shit.
DEACON: I feel like it’ll be more us than any other record before.
WANJA: You’ll know each other even better than now..
KNO: And the new record that we’re doing is a concept record. Everything we’ve always said about what Kentucky Hip Hop is what we’re going to do. But it’s not going to be a southern record. It’s going to be like our influences on the record.
WANJA: Back to your current album. The first track on "Dirty Acres", you’re speaking about how Hip Hop is immortal. Did you feel like you had to respond to the whole "Hip Hop is dead" phrase?
DEACON: No, it was more addressing to how people specifically try to act sometimes like the south is what’s killing Hip Hop. We’re like, "No!". Hip Hop is the most alive in the south, even if it’s just through us.
KNO: There’s wack music coming out of everywhere. Don’t act like Kid-N-Play wouldn’t have done the Soulja Boy. So why is it not ok now when a 17 year old kid is dancing? I don’t like Souljah Boy like that though..
WANJA: I think the problem is more that it’s so over saturated right now..
KNO: Oh, too much of it, yeah. Actually, that’s my problem, there’s no balance.
DEACON: But at the same time, there was a time in the early 90s when everything in the charts was shit like "The tootsie roll", people were doing the Bart Simpson, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice. Rappers Delight, Sugar Hill Gang, they started at a party. I mean, that’s how Hip Hop started.
KNO: People like to have fun and people will always like to dance. So that has nothing to do with killing Hip Hop. So for GZA to go on stage and be complaining about Soulja Boy, that’s stupid. I like GZA, I respect GZA..
WANJA: He did that?
KNO: Yeah, it was all over YouTube. I just feel like you should make your music, and not be concerned with other shit. If you make quality music, you will shine, the cream will rise to the top. It’s a cliché, but it’s true. If you make good music, people will listen to it. So don’t be mad because Soulja Boy is dancing all around. Let the motherfucker dance all around. It doesn’t affect me.
DEACON: He probably wont be dancing next year..
KNO: Yeah, exactly. And that’s his problem, not ours. But he’ll probably still be richer than us (laughs)..
WANJA: Since we’re talking about the music that’s coming out of the south, with people like him being very popular now, I’m wondering what does your fan base in the south look like, what kind of fans do you have there?
KNO: It’s different (laughs).. I mean, honestly, it’s even tough for us to get a show in the south, not just for us. But basically, if you’re not famous or you’re not doing something on that level and you’re not making snap records and stuff..
DEACON: Besides that, the south is like the poorest area of the nation. So when we can go to Colorado and get like 2000 – 3000 $ a show, there’s no way for somebody in the south to be able to afford to pay that.
KNO: Don’t get it twisted. We can do a show in the south, but we’re not going to get paid for it, so we’re not going to do it.
DEACON: They would have to charge 7 $ at the door versus 25 $.
KNO: We do free shows in our area. Like we’ll do area stuff for real low, but I’m not going to go down to Miami for a door split. When we can go to Colorado and get 3000 guaranteed. I mean, we have fans over there and I like and respect them. Thank you Miami for listening to our music (laughs)! But if the promoters are bullshitting we’re not going to come there. You can’t expect us to come out of pocket to go there. People always ask us "Why don’t you come to Canada more often?" Tell the promoters to get on their job, know what I mean?
WANJA: There’s still a high racial tension in the south, I think more than in the rest of the US, right?
KNO: Yes, there is. But I put it like this; latent racism in the US is a much bigger problem now than blatant racism. Which means, because there’s such an emphasis of being politically correct, that people are latently racists. So we have a situation where we might miss out on the first black president because of Ohio, not because of Georgia, you see what I’m saying? It’s the steal belt not the bible belt that’s fucking it up. It’s racist white people in Pennsylvania and Ohio and stuff like that, the latent racism that they don’t really talk about. Things have changed. There aren’t motherfuckers running around with white sheets anymore in the south but there’s still plenty of racism, it’s just different now than it used to be.
WANJA: Kno, how was it for you to grow up in the south as a white kid that’s loving Hip Hop?
KNO: You know what? I would never complain, because whatever I had to go through was something I had to go through. I didn’t feel like "Poor me, I listen to Hip Hop and every once in a while white guys beat me up because of it".
DEACON: It’s probably no worse than for Eminem in Detroit.
KNO: One of the most annoying things to me is white rappers talking about reversed racism. I feel like, shut the fuck up and go make some rock music! I’m not going to say no names, he knows exactly who I’m talking about too (laughs). "I’m a white rapper, people don’t like me because I’m white.." Shut the fuck up and go make some punk rock.
WANJA: Maybe you can tell me after the interview who you are talking about (laughs)..
KNO: Yeah, off the record. And no offence to the person. But I feel like, it’s Hip Hop! And this person is old, older than me, he’s in his 30s..
WANJA: You have a lot of political or thought provoking tracks on your album, like the title song "Dirty Acres". If you could put a bunch of people in a room and make them listen to those tracks, who would it be?
DEACON: The thought provoking ones? Everybody, Oprah, Imus…
KNO: I don’t think that the people who need to hear it can follow rap music. A lot of people would really need to…George Bush. But he would probably be like "What the hell you talking about? It’s too fast, I cant understand. Condoleezza, can you tell me what they’re saying?" (laughs). They cant follow rap music, so fuck it.
WANJA: Do you feel like the lack of thought provoking music in the charts is a reflection of the lack of intellect of the youth?
DEACON: Definitely!
KNO: Yes.
WANJA: And do you think that will ever change?
KNO: Hell no. We’re getting dumber and dumber.
DEACON: Idiocracy!
KNO: Have you seen that movie, Idiocracy? Basically, everybody’s getting more and more stupid because only stupid people are having kids. Because the smart people are working really hard (laughs).
WANJA: So who do you think can relate to your music? Only the smart people and grown folks?
DEACON: We’re just getting to a point where people who really like our music are just true music lovers. People who aren’t necessarily Hip Hop or rap fans. They might go hear us play one week and then the next week go and hear BB King, Norah Jones or somebody. They are just music lovers in general. They’ll go from Gnarls Barkley straight to Depeche Mode.
KNO: We got a "one out of five" for "A piece of strange" in a Swedish rap magazine because it wasn’t "boom bapy" enough. We weren’t getting our Boot Camp Clik on anymore. That shit was "Boombap.com" or some shit. They were just like "They need to go back to the old stuff, this is horrible!".. I feel like, eat a dick! I’m not concerned with it..
DEACON: We’re quick to get a "one out of five" in a rap magazine and then a "five out of five" in a music magazine like Rolling Stone.
KNO: We got As in Spin Magazine and stuff like that. But rap magazines don’t really cover us too much. We’ve been in the Source once or twice, but that’s just from favours, hook ups. We might know a writer up there. Its like, we don’t really get respect from our peers, we have a huge fan base world wide, but when it comes to "rap-rappers", they don’t really fuck with us like that. Because we just make music, we don’t make rap or hip hop, we make music!
WANJA: I’ve seen you perform live a couple times last year and I was impressed with your show because I think you put a lot of thought into it, you have concept shows, where a lot of rap artists just go on stage and rap. How important is that to you?
DEACON: We don’t love performing. We love making music. But we take performance serious. We know that people want to see that presentation, they want to connect with us as people in front of their faces. Nobody wants to come to a show and just hear the CD live. It’d be different if we had a whole live band but if you’re just three guys on stage with a CD Player, how exciting is that?
KNO: We at least just try to connect. Because at the end of the day people won’t really buy music anymore, people come to shows but they don’t come to shows to see you standing there. You got to do something outstanding. Believe me, there’s a million things we’d like to do but we just can’t afford it. If we were on Kanyes level then we’d be doing some crazy shit with our shows, because we have great ideas. We have excellent ideas, just not the doe.
WANJA: Kno, do you plan on making a producers album?
KNO: Hell no!
WANJA: Why not?
KNO: Because I hate rappers (laughs). Again, we don’t get respect from our peers like that. There are very few people who reach out to us.
DEACON: You reach out to somebody and tell them "Hey, I’d like to give you a free beat" and they r like "2000 $ and I’ll send you a 16".
KNO: 2000 $ for a 16 bar verse! I’m like, who the fuck are you? I sold more records than you, I toured the whole world and you’re over here in Michigan, chilling, making mix tapes and take care of your 4 kids (laughs)..
WANJA: But you’ve produced for quite a lot of people, right?
KNO: Well, how many rappers are there? The people we worked with is the small amount of people who were cool when we met them. We always approach who we respect, we always try to be cool with them.
DEACON: Some of those people we produced for, they might pop up on some of our own stuff. Like Devin, we got a beat to him and then he jumped on our project. Same with Witchdoctor. We’ve done a lot of shows with Little Brother, they got on our project. We produced for Lil Scrappy, KRS-One, artists like that are on a whole different level, it’s not easy to reach them..
KNO: Here’s the thing. Underground rappers are assholes. Mainstream rappers are pretty cool. I don’t know if they are broke and mad. I don’t know what it is. So we only have access to rappers to a certain extend. I can’t just go to someone like Ludacris and ask him to jump on one of our tracks.
DEACON: Even if Kno was to do a producers album. Let’s say he produced a track for Lil Scrappy, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, KRS-One. We’d rather have those songs on their albums; they would have more impact on their projects with their budget. Look at Timbaland. He had to push the hell out of his singles for "Shock volume" to sell. And that’s Timbaland! That’s his third producers’ album. Most people can’t even name the ones before. We can’t even name them.
WANJA: Kno and Deacon, you two also have a production group together. How often do you produce songs together?
DEACON: We work every day.
WANJA: But why didn’t you make beats for "Dirty Acres" together?
DEACON: The CunninLynguists sound to me is in that man (pointing at Kno). When I met Kno he was like "I got beats, you got rhymes. Lets put them together." And that’s what started the CunninLynguists sound. Here and there I’ll play some keys on something but he’s going to be the one to chop it up and choose where to place them. He’s going to produce it. I’m just another studio musician in his studio when it comes to CunninLynguists.
WANJA: What are you working on now? You mentioned the new album, a concept album. What can we expect from that?
KNO: Can’t expect anything. It’s a concept record but we’re not ready to announce anything. We got probably like 5 beats and a couple songs. It’ll probably come out by the end of the year or the beginning of the next year.
WANJA: Are yall working on anything else besides that? Any solo stuff?
KNO: Yeah, Natti is working on some solo stuff that we’re producing. And we have a manager that works for Warner Bros music who shops our beats. To be honest with you, the only time we’re really working on CunninLynguists stuff is when we’re on tour or when we’re working on an album specifically. Other than that, CunninLynguists isn’t our job really. We don’t have day jobs but when we work on music we’re trying to get songs on video games or commercials and we’re trying to make money. This is the creative side to us. When that’s more the job side. You got to have a backup plan. You cant be a rapper until you’re 40. I’m not trying to be a 40-year-old touring rapper (laughs).
Dienstag, 27. Oktober 2009
The full article about my show & interview with me
This article and interview appeared on www.myspace.com/plex24 and was written by Fireflyy. Please check her out at www.myspace.com/fireflyy24
Thanks to her for giving me the oppurtunity to talk about these subjects :-)
"I Still Love Her' The Show
Now remember guys and girls before the visual transmission in the form of a television became available to the masses there was a radio. A way of interacting over invisible sound waves.
Radio has always been a very personal way of getting your view across, giving your own opinion and being able to listen to quality music has always been the main one!!
Radio broadcasting has progressed over the years in many ways, beginning in the 1920s with the wireless and in 1954 the transistor radio meant that you could listen to your favourite show in many mobile situations.
Although many people consider pirate radio stations to be one of the downfalls of radio broadcasting with an estimated 150 illegal radio stations in the UK alone, the introduction of such freedom of speech also contributed highly to the progression of the radio as a media component.
Pirate radio stations were formed when we realised not ALL good music could be found on air. There was no guarantee of hearing your favourite tracks on a licensed radio station, the introduction of censored play listing narrowed down being able to listen to anything other than the mainstream causing frustration to us quality music lovers.
Due to the technology boom of the millennium using the internet as a source of research, communication, advertising etc soon became the norm and Radio also picked up on this.
The first internet radio station was launched in 1993 and the notable differences between broadcasting on the internet and traditional methods soon became clear. Traditional radio broadcasts have always been limited by two key factors; The power of a stations transmitter and the availiabity of the broadcast frequency, we all know what it is like trying to tune into a station and getting either nothing but static or a combination of music played all over each other!!
Internet radio had no geographic limitations, listeners are therefore able to hear online shows from all over the globe and visa versa the broadcasters will gain listeners from countries they may have never even visited. Internet radio also costs less than the traditional methods with many people being able to start up their own station from their own homes simply having the access and recording equipment.
Internet radio broadcasts can be accompanied by photos, graphics, message boards, you are able to actively take part and comment on the track playing as you hear it and interact with others who are listening to the same show as you.
We decided to take the time to hit you up with one internet radio show that plays nothing but the realness...
Plex24 brings you a profile and interview with the creator of the "I Still Love H.E.R" internet radio show....
The "I Still Love H.E.R" show broadcasting on Conspiracy radio and hosted by Wanja is another one of those gems for all hip hop lovers not to miss. Nowadays this Fireflyy will admit that it is becoming increasingly hard to find a radio show that plays that quality sound that I want to hear.
"I Still Love H.E.R" all hip hop lovers know where the influence for this captivating title came from. Common Sense hit "I Used To Love H.E.R" critized the direction hip hop was taking during the mid 90's commenting on the fall of afrocentric rap and the rising popularity of west coast hip hop and G-funk. It is now classed as one of his greatest tracks, this is then obviously a perfect title for a show which brings you all things hip hop, inspiring music both old and new, interviews with all those artists we, hip hop lovers, would just love to get to meet and vibe with and of course a host who has her very own charismatic methods of getting us the information we need to know.
The show consists of a flow of tracks personally selected by Wanja herself, tracks that always have the ability to spark a reaction from the listener, whether you start to relive the moment you fell for hip hop or that night in the club when you lost your voice spitting out verse after verse. Each tune manages to connect you to it and over the two hours if she wants you to take a long journey through the decades of the music we love so much then best believe you brought that plane ticket.
The vast amount of artists the host Wanja has interviewed is more than impressive considering her first show was only aired four months ago in July of this year. The journalism bug caught Wanja before that however and now in her archives are the likes of Jazzy Jeff and Rhymefest, Aloe Blacc, Slum Village, Phat Kat, Kev Brown, Buff1, Motive from the Demigodz to name but a few...and I mean a FEW. The rapport she holds with each willing subject comes across in her interviews and the skill she has developed over her short time now puts her up there, in my opinion, as a credited hip hop journalist.
Catch Wanja every sunday on www.conspiracyuk.com.
US 3-5pm
Central Europe 9-11pm
UK 8-10pm
Also check out her myspace at www.myspace.com/istilllovehertheshow
Plex24 would like to thank Wanja for her taking the time out to answer our questions!!
Plex24: Has radio presenting always been an interest of yours?
Wanja: Actually, no. I never really thought about doing that. But I always loved doing special mix tapes for my friends, and I knew that putting music together was something I was good at. But since I had never been a big radio listener myself, the idea of hosting my own show never crossed my mind. I started doing the interviews for an online magazine and one day my boyfriend said I should send the audio material to this independent radio station because they would like to include them in one of their shows. While we were talking about that the idea occurred of just doing a whole show myself. I love putting music together so it made perfect sense.
Plex24:Do you think internet radio now reigns supreme over traditional broadcasting?
Wanja: It depends. One problem of internet radio is that it is not as accessible. You can only tune in while you're on the computer. You can't tune in while you're in the car or running around in the house or whatever. Another disadvantage is that there are so many internet radio stations that it's hard to get a lot of listeners for your show, also because with internet radio you don't make any money, so you have no budget for promotion. On the other hand, the internet has become so important and big, that it gives a lot of people the chance to start their own thing. You don't need a budget to start something like that on the internet; you basically just need a good idea and the passion to invest time in it.
Plex24: Do you specialize in interviewing hip hop artists?
Wanja: Yes, definitely. Since Hip Hop is my first love and has always been my biggest interest it came natural for me to interview artists who make that kind of music. I also wouldn't mind interviewing Neo-Soul artists, it just hasn't happened yet.
Plex24: What do you think of the statement "Real hip hop is not played on the radio?"
Wanja: I do understand where that statement came from. And I agree to an extend. I think the people who say this are talking about commercial radio. That's actually one of the reasons why you will never catch me turning on a traditional radio. Especially over here in Germany I haven't found any station that played Hip Hop. The closest it got was the latest 50 Cent track that climbed to the top of the Billboard Charts. Well, you get the picture. The problem with traditional radio is that it's commercial, it's controlled by an industry that is interested in making money. You have people from record labels paying for airplay. I actually had an interesting conversation about this with a German radio host. I was visiting the radio station that he works for and had the chance to ask him a couple of questions. The outcome was that I had to realize that the concept of my show will probably NEVER work on real radio. Radio hosts do not pick any of the songs that are being played, and that's something I can't allow on my show. I have to be in control of the music myself and make sure that it always represents me and my love for Hip Hop. Also, the reason why they play the same songs 30 times a day is a simple marketing strategy. They do surveys with random people and ask them about different songs, from the answers they create a hit list and those songs they play over and over again. That's why new talent doesn't get a chance, unless it's blown up by the media and backed up with stacks of money by their record label. That's what this business is about, money! Of course I will never get as many listeners as a commercial radio station with the type of music I play. Because it's not that popular. Also, one thing I don't want to forget to mention is that (and this is my personal thoughts on this) I believe that a lot of the Hip Hop I love is too real for the media. When artists talk about real issues about what's going on in this world they will not get the airplay they deserve. Sometimes I feel like the government is trying to keep the people dumb, trying to make them think it's all about partying. Especially in Hip Hop, I've been getting the feeling that the government wants to portray a bad image of hip hop to society, they want the average Joe to think that Hip Hop is all about violence, jewellery and degrading women. Although it's about so much more..
Plex24: While conducting your first interview were you more nervous or excited?
Wanja: The first Interview I did was an E-mail interview. I sent the questions and got the answers back. So there wasn't much to be nervous about. Of course I was worried if my questions were any good but it turned out fine. Then the first interview I did in person, I was more nervous than excited. I got excited afterwards. Actually, my nervousness faded a little bit when I had to wait for the artists to show up for the interview for almost 2 hours, I was more mad than nervous, that actually helped..lol
Plex24: Describe your interview technique. Is it formal or informal?
Wanja: It used to be very formal in the beginning. Because you want to do everything right, you want to ask all the questions you prepared and you think that if you don't have the sheet with the questions in front of you, you will mess up somehow. But as I got more comfortable with it, it became more and more informal. Now I usually don't look at that sheet anymore and just have a conversation with the artist. I do ask most of the questions I had prepared but usually a lot of questions also just come up during the conversation. It's more like talking to a friend about music, which is something that I love to do and I think that makes the outcome a lot better.
Plex24: Do you find it easier to interview people who you already have an appreciation for?
Wanja: Yes, definitely. Because when you have an appreciation for an artist, or have even been a fan of for a long time, you definitely know more about them than if you only heard their music a couple of times. And with the knowledge that you have from being a fan you can ask a lot more and better questions, it makes you more confident too.
Plex24: Over the time you have been interviewing such talented artists have you ever been star struck?
Wanja: Maybe a little bit when I interviewed DJ Jazzy Jeff. Because he's such a legend and great musician to me. But other than that, not really. Talking to all these artists shows you that they are just regular people like you and me. Some of them are cool, some of them are not, but there's really nothing to go crazy about.
Plex24: Do you select your own playlist?
Wanja: Yes, I do and I always will. That's very important to me because I want to be able to stand 100% behind my show.
Plex24: Person you'd most like to interview and why?
Wanja: Definitely J.Dilla if that wasn't impossible. He's been one of my biggest inspirations and one of the reasons why I kept on fighting for my dream. If it wasn't for him I think I wouldn't be doing my radio show now. I would love to ask him about his unbreakable love for music, how he started and what kept inspiring him.
Plex24: Female rapper you'd most love to interview and why?
Wanja: Tough question. I know a lot of people aren't gonna like it when I say this. But unfortunately I'm not a big fan of female rap, although I even used to rap myself. There have only been a few that I liked listening too and right now I can't name any who dropped a recent album .I think what bothers me is that most female MCs either try to sound like men or represent themselves only as sex objects. Of course there are exceptions. I guess if I had to choose one, it would be Lauryn Hill, I always loved her style and she is an incredible MC as well as singer.
Plex24: Which interview has left you feeling proud that you do what you do?
Wanja: I'd have to name two. One was the Jazzy Jeff & Rhymefest interview. Just because I never expected it to happen and it was a real spontaneous thing. The other one was Slum Village. I thought it came out great and also that's one of my all-time favourite groups so it was a pleasure interviewing them.
Plex24: What's real hip hop to you?
Wanja: First off, I want to say that this is only my own perception of what real hip hop is. I think every person has their own definition and it will always stay that way. To me, real Hip Hop comes from the heart. I'm not saying every Hip Hop track needs to be conscious and talk about the deepest topics. Hip Hop can be party, battle, conscious, a great beat or just simply fun. But one thing Hip Hop should never be is only made for the money. Since Rap has became such a trend the music industry took on to it and turned it into this commercial thing, they take people off the streets, shape them into whatever they need and make them their money makers. Sounds like prostitution, don't it? So if you only do it for the money, that's not Hip Hop to me. But if you have love for the culture, if Hip Hop is in your heart and soul and that also displays in your music, then that's real Hip Hop. I might not like it because it's doesn't fit my taste, but it's still Hip Hop.
Plex24: Why do you think hip hop is often referred to as being a female?
Wanja: I think it's because the majority of Hip Hop artists are guys. And you will never hear a guy say "I love him" lol. Imagine if people referred to Hip Hop as a male, Commons "I still love H.E.R." would've never been possible. I think it's much easier for men to express their love for Hip Hop this way. And it's much more beautiful too. It expresses how deep ones feelings for the culture can go. But maybe a man should answer this question..lol
Plex24: Being a hip hop lover where do you stand on the "hip hop just died this mornin', and she's dead, she's dead" Nas lyric?
Wanja: Hip Hop isn't dead. It never died, and it never will. I actually did an episode of my show once, called "Hip Hop is dead?" and touched on that subject, check that out sometime.. I've always said, Hip Hop lives is the hearts of the fans and artists. As long as there is one person out there that genuinely loves this culture, it can't die. It all depends on how you define that phrase. I think to someone who doesn't really follow Hip Hop music and only gets to hear and see what MTV plays, yeah it might seem like the culture has died. But if you dig there is still as much good music as ever. I love Hip Hop right now. I find great new music every day. It's just that you can't swallow everything the media feeds you; you have to go out and look for it yourself.
Plex24: I was reading an interesting article that touched on "Is Hip Hop Dead'? the opinion constructed from this was that the hip hop artists of today are not willing to take chances and that was an essential charactistic adopted by many hip hop artists of the 80's early 90s. Do you agree with this statement?
Wanja: A lot of artists don't take chances because it's just easier to follow something that has worked for others. If you do something new, individual there's always a 50% chance that you will not succeed. So a lot of artists or people in general, prefer to stay on the safe side. I think especially in Hip Hop the fans often can't accept something that sounds different and new. They are so stuck in their mind state of what hip hop is supposed to sound like. Look at people like Common, Andre 3000 or Cee-Lo, when they stepped out of the regular Rap music sound, they got dissed for it by a lot of Hip Hop fans. A lot of them just aren't open minded enough.
Plex24: Artists such as Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def etc have often been referred to as more "conscious" rappers or "back pack rappers" do you believe that sometimes they become overshadowed by other mainstrem artists because they are focusing more on providing diverse lyrical content than actually the track having a beat to hit the club with?
Wanja: That's definitely true. Like I stated before, Rap music with a message will never have as much commercial success as the ones with catchy hooks and beats to dance to. Mainstream Record labels work with concepts. It's like they have a formula for hit records, they know exactly what they need to put in there to reach the masses. But what they don't do is creating timeless music. They do not serve longevity. You will not see anyone putting a "Souljah Boy" single in his stereo in 5 years, but there will still be a lot of people listening to classics like Mos Def and Talib Kwelis "Black Star". I guess the question is, what do you want as an artist, that one hit that is going to make you a couple millions or timeless music that is going to stay in peoples list of favourites and marks a certain period in music? People like Kweli or Mos Def may be overshadowed as far as popularity and media but never in the quality of their music.
Plex24: Album you're feeling at the moment?
Wanja: The new Little Brother album, Median, I'm still loving Pharoahe Monchs joint. I'm always listening to a lot of older records too, I just put Camp Los "Uptown Saturday Night" back on my iPod. Dilla is always in rotation of course. And I can't wait for the new Slum Village to drop. Oh and I can't forget about the Blu & Exile album, that is one of the highlights of 2007 to me. A real proof that Hip Hop is alive and well.
Plex24: Collaboration or reunion that you would like to see happen?
Wanja: I would love to hear another Common album produced by J.Dilla. Common is really at a great point in his career right now and I would love to hear what they would create. But as we all know, that will never happen. So as far as possible collaborations or reunions, I think I would love for the Soulquarians to get together again and make music or even go on tour. I think that would fulfil the needs of a lot of hip hop fans right now. A new album by A tribe called quest is something I would definitely love to hear also.
Thanks to her for giving me the oppurtunity to talk about these subjects :-)
"I Still Love Her' The Show
Now remember guys and girls before the visual transmission in the form of a television became available to the masses there was a radio. A way of interacting over invisible sound waves.
Radio has always been a very personal way of getting your view across, giving your own opinion and being able to listen to quality music has always been the main one!!
Radio broadcasting has progressed over the years in many ways, beginning in the 1920s with the wireless and in 1954 the transistor radio meant that you could listen to your favourite show in many mobile situations.
Although many people consider pirate radio stations to be one of the downfalls of radio broadcasting with an estimated 150 illegal radio stations in the UK alone, the introduction of such freedom of speech also contributed highly to the progression of the radio as a media component.
Pirate radio stations were formed when we realised not ALL good music could be found on air. There was no guarantee of hearing your favourite tracks on a licensed radio station, the introduction of censored play listing narrowed down being able to listen to anything other than the mainstream causing frustration to us quality music lovers.
Due to the technology boom of the millennium using the internet as a source of research, communication, advertising etc soon became the norm and Radio also picked up on this.
The first internet radio station was launched in 1993 and the notable differences between broadcasting on the internet and traditional methods soon became clear. Traditional radio broadcasts have always been limited by two key factors; The power of a stations transmitter and the availiabity of the broadcast frequency, we all know what it is like trying to tune into a station and getting either nothing but static or a combination of music played all over each other!!
Internet radio had no geographic limitations, listeners are therefore able to hear online shows from all over the globe and visa versa the broadcasters will gain listeners from countries they may have never even visited. Internet radio also costs less than the traditional methods with many people being able to start up their own station from their own homes simply having the access and recording equipment.
Internet radio broadcasts can be accompanied by photos, graphics, message boards, you are able to actively take part and comment on the track playing as you hear it and interact with others who are listening to the same show as you.
We decided to take the time to hit you up with one internet radio show that plays nothing but the realness...
Plex24 brings you a profile and interview with the creator of the "I Still Love H.E.R" internet radio show....
The "I Still Love H.E.R" show broadcasting on Conspiracy radio and hosted by Wanja is another one of those gems for all hip hop lovers not to miss. Nowadays this Fireflyy will admit that it is becoming increasingly hard to find a radio show that plays that quality sound that I want to hear.
"I Still Love H.E.R" all hip hop lovers know where the influence for this captivating title came from. Common Sense hit "I Used To Love H.E.R" critized the direction hip hop was taking during the mid 90's commenting on the fall of afrocentric rap and the rising popularity of west coast hip hop and G-funk. It is now classed as one of his greatest tracks, this is then obviously a perfect title for a show which brings you all things hip hop, inspiring music both old and new, interviews with all those artists we, hip hop lovers, would just love to get to meet and vibe with and of course a host who has her very own charismatic methods of getting us the information we need to know.
The show consists of a flow of tracks personally selected by Wanja herself, tracks that always have the ability to spark a reaction from the listener, whether you start to relive the moment you fell for hip hop or that night in the club when you lost your voice spitting out verse after verse. Each tune manages to connect you to it and over the two hours if she wants you to take a long journey through the decades of the music we love so much then best believe you brought that plane ticket.
The vast amount of artists the host Wanja has interviewed is more than impressive considering her first show was only aired four months ago in July of this year. The journalism bug caught Wanja before that however and now in her archives are the likes of Jazzy Jeff and Rhymefest, Aloe Blacc, Slum Village, Phat Kat, Kev Brown, Buff1, Motive from the Demigodz to name but a few...and I mean a FEW. The rapport she holds with each willing subject comes across in her interviews and the skill she has developed over her short time now puts her up there, in my opinion, as a credited hip hop journalist.
Catch Wanja every sunday on www.conspiracyuk.com.
US 3-5pm
Central Europe 9-11pm
UK 8-10pm
Also check out her myspace at www.myspace.com/istilllovehertheshow
Plex24 would like to thank Wanja for her taking the time out to answer our questions!!
Plex24: Has radio presenting always been an interest of yours?
Wanja: Actually, no. I never really thought about doing that. But I always loved doing special mix tapes for my friends, and I knew that putting music together was something I was good at. But since I had never been a big radio listener myself, the idea of hosting my own show never crossed my mind. I started doing the interviews for an online magazine and one day my boyfriend said I should send the audio material to this independent radio station because they would like to include them in one of their shows. While we were talking about that the idea occurred of just doing a whole show myself. I love putting music together so it made perfect sense.
Plex24:Do you think internet radio now reigns supreme over traditional broadcasting?
Wanja: It depends. One problem of internet radio is that it is not as accessible. You can only tune in while you're on the computer. You can't tune in while you're in the car or running around in the house or whatever. Another disadvantage is that there are so many internet radio stations that it's hard to get a lot of listeners for your show, also because with internet radio you don't make any money, so you have no budget for promotion. On the other hand, the internet has become so important and big, that it gives a lot of people the chance to start their own thing. You don't need a budget to start something like that on the internet; you basically just need a good idea and the passion to invest time in it.
Plex24: Do you specialize in interviewing hip hop artists?
Wanja: Yes, definitely. Since Hip Hop is my first love and has always been my biggest interest it came natural for me to interview artists who make that kind of music. I also wouldn't mind interviewing Neo-Soul artists, it just hasn't happened yet.
Plex24: What do you think of the statement "Real hip hop is not played on the radio?"
Wanja: I do understand where that statement came from. And I agree to an extend. I think the people who say this are talking about commercial radio. That's actually one of the reasons why you will never catch me turning on a traditional radio. Especially over here in Germany I haven't found any station that played Hip Hop. The closest it got was the latest 50 Cent track that climbed to the top of the Billboard Charts. Well, you get the picture. The problem with traditional radio is that it's commercial, it's controlled by an industry that is interested in making money. You have people from record labels paying for airplay. I actually had an interesting conversation about this with a German radio host. I was visiting the radio station that he works for and had the chance to ask him a couple of questions. The outcome was that I had to realize that the concept of my show will probably NEVER work on real radio. Radio hosts do not pick any of the songs that are being played, and that's something I can't allow on my show. I have to be in control of the music myself and make sure that it always represents me and my love for Hip Hop. Also, the reason why they play the same songs 30 times a day is a simple marketing strategy. They do surveys with random people and ask them about different songs, from the answers they create a hit list and those songs they play over and over again. That's why new talent doesn't get a chance, unless it's blown up by the media and backed up with stacks of money by their record label. That's what this business is about, money! Of course I will never get as many listeners as a commercial radio station with the type of music I play. Because it's not that popular. Also, one thing I don't want to forget to mention is that (and this is my personal thoughts on this) I believe that a lot of the Hip Hop I love is too real for the media. When artists talk about real issues about what's going on in this world they will not get the airplay they deserve. Sometimes I feel like the government is trying to keep the people dumb, trying to make them think it's all about partying. Especially in Hip Hop, I've been getting the feeling that the government wants to portray a bad image of hip hop to society, they want the average Joe to think that Hip Hop is all about violence, jewellery and degrading women. Although it's about so much more..
Plex24: While conducting your first interview were you more nervous or excited?
Wanja: The first Interview I did was an E-mail interview. I sent the questions and got the answers back. So there wasn't much to be nervous about. Of course I was worried if my questions were any good but it turned out fine. Then the first interview I did in person, I was more nervous than excited. I got excited afterwards. Actually, my nervousness faded a little bit when I had to wait for the artists to show up for the interview for almost 2 hours, I was more mad than nervous, that actually helped..lol
Plex24: Describe your interview technique. Is it formal or informal?
Wanja: It used to be very formal in the beginning. Because you want to do everything right, you want to ask all the questions you prepared and you think that if you don't have the sheet with the questions in front of you, you will mess up somehow. But as I got more comfortable with it, it became more and more informal. Now I usually don't look at that sheet anymore and just have a conversation with the artist. I do ask most of the questions I had prepared but usually a lot of questions also just come up during the conversation. It's more like talking to a friend about music, which is something that I love to do and I think that makes the outcome a lot better.
Plex24: Do you find it easier to interview people who you already have an appreciation for?
Wanja: Yes, definitely. Because when you have an appreciation for an artist, or have even been a fan of for a long time, you definitely know more about them than if you only heard their music a couple of times. And with the knowledge that you have from being a fan you can ask a lot more and better questions, it makes you more confident too.
Plex24: Over the time you have been interviewing such talented artists have you ever been star struck?
Wanja: Maybe a little bit when I interviewed DJ Jazzy Jeff. Because he's such a legend and great musician to me. But other than that, not really. Talking to all these artists shows you that they are just regular people like you and me. Some of them are cool, some of them are not, but there's really nothing to go crazy about.
Plex24: Do you select your own playlist?
Wanja: Yes, I do and I always will. That's very important to me because I want to be able to stand 100% behind my show.
Plex24: Person you'd most like to interview and why?
Wanja: Definitely J.Dilla if that wasn't impossible. He's been one of my biggest inspirations and one of the reasons why I kept on fighting for my dream. If it wasn't for him I think I wouldn't be doing my radio show now. I would love to ask him about his unbreakable love for music, how he started and what kept inspiring him.
Plex24: Female rapper you'd most love to interview and why?
Wanja: Tough question. I know a lot of people aren't gonna like it when I say this. But unfortunately I'm not a big fan of female rap, although I even used to rap myself. There have only been a few that I liked listening too and right now I can't name any who dropped a recent album .I think what bothers me is that most female MCs either try to sound like men or represent themselves only as sex objects. Of course there are exceptions. I guess if I had to choose one, it would be Lauryn Hill, I always loved her style and she is an incredible MC as well as singer.
Plex24: Which interview has left you feeling proud that you do what you do?
Wanja: I'd have to name two. One was the Jazzy Jeff & Rhymefest interview. Just because I never expected it to happen and it was a real spontaneous thing. The other one was Slum Village. I thought it came out great and also that's one of my all-time favourite groups so it was a pleasure interviewing them.
Plex24: What's real hip hop to you?
Wanja: First off, I want to say that this is only my own perception of what real hip hop is. I think every person has their own definition and it will always stay that way. To me, real Hip Hop comes from the heart. I'm not saying every Hip Hop track needs to be conscious and talk about the deepest topics. Hip Hop can be party, battle, conscious, a great beat or just simply fun. But one thing Hip Hop should never be is only made for the money. Since Rap has became such a trend the music industry took on to it and turned it into this commercial thing, they take people off the streets, shape them into whatever they need and make them their money makers. Sounds like prostitution, don't it? So if you only do it for the money, that's not Hip Hop to me. But if you have love for the culture, if Hip Hop is in your heart and soul and that also displays in your music, then that's real Hip Hop. I might not like it because it's doesn't fit my taste, but it's still Hip Hop.
Plex24: Why do you think hip hop is often referred to as being a female?
Wanja: I think it's because the majority of Hip Hop artists are guys. And you will never hear a guy say "I love him" lol. Imagine if people referred to Hip Hop as a male, Commons "I still love H.E.R." would've never been possible. I think it's much easier for men to express their love for Hip Hop this way. And it's much more beautiful too. It expresses how deep ones feelings for the culture can go. But maybe a man should answer this question..lol
Plex24: Being a hip hop lover where do you stand on the "hip hop just died this mornin', and she's dead, she's dead" Nas lyric?
Wanja: Hip Hop isn't dead. It never died, and it never will. I actually did an episode of my show once, called "Hip Hop is dead?" and touched on that subject, check that out sometime.. I've always said, Hip Hop lives is the hearts of the fans and artists. As long as there is one person out there that genuinely loves this culture, it can't die. It all depends on how you define that phrase. I think to someone who doesn't really follow Hip Hop music and only gets to hear and see what MTV plays, yeah it might seem like the culture has died. But if you dig there is still as much good music as ever. I love Hip Hop right now. I find great new music every day. It's just that you can't swallow everything the media feeds you; you have to go out and look for it yourself.
Plex24: I was reading an interesting article that touched on "Is Hip Hop Dead'? the opinion constructed from this was that the hip hop artists of today are not willing to take chances and that was an essential charactistic adopted by many hip hop artists of the 80's early 90s. Do you agree with this statement?
Wanja: A lot of artists don't take chances because it's just easier to follow something that has worked for others. If you do something new, individual there's always a 50% chance that you will not succeed. So a lot of artists or people in general, prefer to stay on the safe side. I think especially in Hip Hop the fans often can't accept something that sounds different and new. They are so stuck in their mind state of what hip hop is supposed to sound like. Look at people like Common, Andre 3000 or Cee-Lo, when they stepped out of the regular Rap music sound, they got dissed for it by a lot of Hip Hop fans. A lot of them just aren't open minded enough.
Plex24: Artists such as Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def etc have often been referred to as more "conscious" rappers or "back pack rappers" do you believe that sometimes they become overshadowed by other mainstrem artists because they are focusing more on providing diverse lyrical content than actually the track having a beat to hit the club with?
Wanja: That's definitely true. Like I stated before, Rap music with a message will never have as much commercial success as the ones with catchy hooks and beats to dance to. Mainstream Record labels work with concepts. It's like they have a formula for hit records, they know exactly what they need to put in there to reach the masses. But what they don't do is creating timeless music. They do not serve longevity. You will not see anyone putting a "Souljah Boy" single in his stereo in 5 years, but there will still be a lot of people listening to classics like Mos Def and Talib Kwelis "Black Star". I guess the question is, what do you want as an artist, that one hit that is going to make you a couple millions or timeless music that is going to stay in peoples list of favourites and marks a certain period in music? People like Kweli or Mos Def may be overshadowed as far as popularity and media but never in the quality of their music.
Plex24: Album you're feeling at the moment?
Wanja: The new Little Brother album, Median, I'm still loving Pharoahe Monchs joint. I'm always listening to a lot of older records too, I just put Camp Los "Uptown Saturday Night" back on my iPod. Dilla is always in rotation of course. And I can't wait for the new Slum Village to drop. Oh and I can't forget about the Blu & Exile album, that is one of the highlights of 2007 to me. A real proof that Hip Hop is alive and well.
Plex24: Collaboration or reunion that you would like to see happen?
Wanja: I would love to hear another Common album produced by J.Dilla. Common is really at a great point in his career right now and I would love to hear what they would create. But as we all know, that will never happen. So as far as possible collaborations or reunions, I think I would love for the Soulquarians to get together again and make music or even go on tour. I think that would fulfil the needs of a lot of hip hop fans right now. A new album by A tribe called quest is something I would definitely love to hear also.
Samstag, 20. Juni 2009
Karma in Hip hop
As my first „underground“ hip hop experience I’ll always remember a Lone Catalysts show I went to out here in Germany. I used to write lyrics and rap back then myself and I remember like it was yesterday (although its about 9 years ago now), how much I got inspired by their show, the scenery and also the other heads I saw in the place. I sat down near the stage and wrote in my books of rhymes. I still have that book to this day, it doesn’t look as good as then but it sure does bring back the memories..
Out here in Germany I haven’t had moments of inspiration like that often, and I didn’t really feel as touched until this one night in Detroit. A local artist, Blake Eerie, had approached me about interviewing him. After all the interviews I had done before, I felt like I didn’t want to keep doing them in the typical way interviews are done. If I was going to take time out to do this, it had to be something special, something to inspire others. So we talked and decided to invite a few more local artists and have a conference style interview about the state of Detroit Hip Hop.
We weren’t aware of the gratitude until we actually got to the spot that night. By 9pm about 30 artists had shown up. And every single one of them was amazed by what we had done.
We sat down and talked, passionately. Talked about what was going wrong, what needed to be done in order to make it better.
I have always loved Detroit hip hop. I always saw the incredible talent in this city. Yet, it didn’t occur to me why Detroit never got the recognition it deserves. I wanted to get to the bottom of this and possibly find a solution.
That night, I saw it. I saw the inspiration in everyone’s faces, including my own. I saw the excitement, the will to do something. Even desperation. We all left that night, wanting to change Detroit, wanting to change Hip Hop.
And then…I went back to Germany. With all these ideas in my head. But as with everything, you cant do things by yourself. Especially not when you’re thousands of miles away.
I put my trust in the others to hold it down. To help me fulfil this dream that we all have.
But reality hit me. Unanswered E-mails. Uncompleted tasks. No responses. Less people at the following conferences. And I got discouraged. I still am. It’s only been three months, and I know I should be patient and give it time. But what people need to realise is that I am in Germany. I can’t come to the conferences. I can’t hit u up on your phone and tell you what to do. I can’t see the outcome. I can’t stay in touch if you aren’t willing to respond to me.
I sent out emails, asking for simple things, nothing that would’ve taken longer than 15 minutes of someone’s time. No response. I got very frustrated with the situation. People need to understand that I cannot be part of the project, which I co-founded, when nobody is willing to include me.
I got mad too. At a point I felt like, fuck this! Why should I take out time of my day, besides the job I have and other obligations, and try to do something to help YOU, do something that wont benefit me at all. Something I do solely for the love of hip hop. Why should I, when you cant even send me an email?
Then I started to think. And something occurred to me. I had always heard so much great music, and supporting it through my mixtape series “Digital undaground”, which wasn’t popular music or getting too many platforms to be heard on. I never understood how these incredibly talented artists didn’t have the success they should have. I think I got an answer now. And don’t get me wrong; this doesn’t apply to all artists, but to lots of them.
You can have the greatest product in the world, but if it doesn’t get heard, if you don’t work for it to be heard, then nobody will care about it.
Nowadays, with the over saturation of the hip hop market, nobody is going to LOOK for talent. When there are hundreds of talented cats out there, why should they come looking for you?
So the only ones to succeed will be the ones who dedicate their lives to it. The ones who stay up hrs longer than they should, just to make sure one more person will hear their music.
I’m sorry to say but most artists are just too lazy. I understand that ppl have jobs and lives and families to support. So do I. But I know that there are times when you lay on your couch and watch TV, times when you go out without networking. Times when you WASTE time. When you could be on your grind. In the end, only the hard working ones will be on top. If you don’t like to put in work, you might as well stop now. Going to the studio and recording isn’t enough anymore.
People don’t even realise all the opportunities they have in our modern age. The internet is your door to the whole world. And while you are reading this, you could make someone a fan of your work RIGHT NOW. When someone is willing to help you out and support you, you should take that chance and not let it go because you’re too lazy to reply to an email. And when a person that did something to help you asks you for a favour, you should do what you can to help them out because you never know what it might do for you in the future. Karma..
I’m frustrated. But I’m not bitter. And I haven’t given up on hip hop, Detroit, nor our project. I never will. But know that, if you’re not there now, you cant come when we got this up and running. Only the ones who help build will be standing on top in the end.
But this is not just about the artists I dealt with, not only about the artists I put on my mixtapes and who couldn’t even put one link on their page. This is to every artist, and to every person who has goals and wants to make something of their life. In order to reach any goal, you will have to put in work. And when you think you have put in enough work, put a lil more in. Because while you’re asleep, there’s somebody else working overtime to make their dreams come true. Like I am right now.
I still love ya’ll artists for giving me music that makes my head nod. And I would love to see ya’ll on top. And I will always offer a hand. So if you’re real about it, take it.
Dienstag, 23. Dezember 2008
Digital Undaground Vol 2 Download
Download DIGITAL UNDAGROUND VOL 2 here:
http://www.4shared.com/file/55374335/a9f5834a/Digital_Undaground_Vol_2.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/55374335/a9f5834a/Digital_Undaground_Vol_2.html
Digital Undaground Vol 1 Download
Download DIGITAL UNDAGROUND VOL 1 here:
http://www.4shared.com/file/41466084/8dc92140/Digital_Undaground_Vol_1.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/41466084/8dc92140/Digital_Undaground_Vol_1.html
Digital Undaground Vol 3 Download
Download Digital Undaground Vol 3 here:
http://www.4shared.com/file/77024492/53ff036c/Digital_Undaground_Vol_3.html
(Sorry for the reroute..myspace made it hard for us to post this link..)
http://www.4shared.com/file/77024492/53ff036c/Digital_Undaground_Vol_3.html
(Sorry for the reroute..myspace made it hard for us to post this link..)
Sonntag, 11. November 2007
Random Thoughts Pt 4: My beef with down south rap
My beef with down south rap is officially over! I´ve been spending too much time being mad at the south. That just causes way too much negative energy.. so it has to stop.. I´ve been thinking a lot and I decided that down south rap isn't as bad as I have made it sound lately. Yes the lyrics make no sense. But hell, Hip hop is supposed to be an open minded culture and it is about celebration as well as speaking the truth. There´s space for everyone in Hiphop so lets stop all the hate across the coasts. I like to party too, and I have to say I enjoy a good beat to dance to when I´m at a club. So down south music, I thank u for that. (ok, that wasn't so hard)
Believe it or not but there was a time where I would listen to a 3-6 mafia record without my conscience poking me…I used to not put so much thought into it.. Until the big hype came. And I´ve always been the kind of person to push any kind of hype from me.. If the masses love it, I don't want it anymore.. I know that's a very silly, and also close minded way of thinking, but I wanna be real with ya´ll.. I mean, that's how I always felt, because I didn't wanna be part of the mainstream crowd. So when the hype came..i ran.. Now, thinking about it, it makes me feel dumb. If you like something, you like it no matter if the ppl around u do. I´ve made the experience that that's how a lot of underground hiphop fans are. Like this constant discussion about who turned mainstream or sold out. Yes, there are ppl that changed for better sales, that didn't stay true to themselves. To me that's the negative mainstream artist, and I cant really respect that. But lets take somebody like Jay-Z, he has the talent, people just LOVE his music, that's why he sells a lot of records. Does that make him or his music bad? (I´ll just leave this an open question for you to think about)
Now back to the subject.. Down South Rap.. The dirty dirty.. I believe people down there love the music they make. It might not be deep or meaningful, but to them its all they have. Maybe that's reason enough to give them a chance. Nobody is gonna force you to listen to their rap. So why not just accept them, and their place in Hip Hop? It wont hurt. And it will save you a lot of negative energy. I know I´m building contradictions here, looking at my other blogs. But see, I´m just trying to bring peace to my world, my world where Hip Hop is the sun that keeps everything alive, the rain that quenches my thirst and makes trees grow…(yeah, I´m getting corny, I can tell I´ve been drinking wine..lol)
I don't wanna hate anymore. Why waste time with it? As long as I´m in these 4 walls I call my own I will play whatever I wanna play..and for the most part that's gonna be "conscious rap" and neo soul.. and when I feel like getting my dance on and party I´ll let the Djs at the clubs play some of that dirty dirty for me.. And I´ll enjoy both to the fullest. I got respect for ya´ll….its all love
Believe it or not but there was a time where I would listen to a 3-6 mafia record without my conscience poking me…I used to not put so much thought into it.. Until the big hype came. And I´ve always been the kind of person to push any kind of hype from me.. If the masses love it, I don't want it anymore.. I know that's a very silly, and also close minded way of thinking, but I wanna be real with ya´ll.. I mean, that's how I always felt, because I didn't wanna be part of the mainstream crowd. So when the hype came..i ran.. Now, thinking about it, it makes me feel dumb. If you like something, you like it no matter if the ppl around u do. I´ve made the experience that that's how a lot of underground hiphop fans are. Like this constant discussion about who turned mainstream or sold out. Yes, there are ppl that changed for better sales, that didn't stay true to themselves. To me that's the negative mainstream artist, and I cant really respect that. But lets take somebody like Jay-Z, he has the talent, people just LOVE his music, that's why he sells a lot of records. Does that make him or his music bad? (I´ll just leave this an open question for you to think about)
Now back to the subject.. Down South Rap.. The dirty dirty.. I believe people down there love the music they make. It might not be deep or meaningful, but to them its all they have. Maybe that's reason enough to give them a chance. Nobody is gonna force you to listen to their rap. So why not just accept them, and their place in Hip Hop? It wont hurt. And it will save you a lot of negative energy. I know I´m building contradictions here, looking at my other blogs. But see, I´m just trying to bring peace to my world, my world where Hip Hop is the sun that keeps everything alive, the rain that quenches my thirst and makes trees grow…(yeah, I´m getting corny, I can tell I´ve been drinking wine..lol)
I don't wanna hate anymore. Why waste time with it? As long as I´m in these 4 walls I call my own I will play whatever I wanna play..and for the most part that's gonna be "conscious rap" and neo soul.. and when I feel like getting my dance on and party I´ll let the Djs at the clubs play some of that dirty dirty for me.. And I´ll enjoy both to the fullest. I got respect for ya´ll….its all love
Random Thoughts Pt 3: Hip Hop is...
Hiphop is not dead...How can you say hiphop is dead when an endless list of Mcs prove with every record they make that hiphops heart is still beating strong. MCs like Kweli, Mos Def, Common, Black Thought, Lupe, Brand Nubian, Slum Village..people like J.Dilla who keep Hiphop alive even though they r not with us physically anymore. I could go on and on naming people that make Rap worth listening to..Hiphop never had a come back. It was never gone. Hiphop is in the heart of every head that cant live his life without it. We keep hiphop alive. And if u say Hiphop is dead...Well, then that just means your love for it died. But at that same second a Hiphop Lover is born on the other side of the planet. So don't worry, it will never die. I will pass this love on to my children and hopefully my grandchildren, just like every other true head will do. Hiphop is not about color, where u from, or where u at. It doesn't ask for anything but passion & love.
Hiphop is like poetry. Even when its not heard or recognized, it will still be there. Because those that found and understood it will never let it go. And stop all this talk about New York Rap. New York Rap is as great as its always been. The only reason why its not on top (as far as sales) anymore is that the industry needs the change. Believe it or not but Down South music will not always be as successful as it is now. It wont, because there will be something different and more interesting to the consumer. And as I put my headphones back on, blasting Common, I can feel Hiphops presence, feel it running through my veins. Cant stop wont stop
Hiphop is like poetry. Even when its not heard or recognized, it will still be there. Because those that found and understood it will never let it go. And stop all this talk about New York Rap. New York Rap is as great as its always been. The only reason why its not on top (as far as sales) anymore is that the industry needs the change. Believe it or not but Down South music will not always be as successful as it is now. It wont, because there will be something different and more interesting to the consumer. And as I put my headphones back on, blasting Common, I can feel Hiphops presence, feel it running through my veins. Cant stop wont stop
Random Thoughts Pt 2: Me, Myself & Hip Hop Pt2
Music is the most influential art there is. It always has been. The type of music somebody listens to affects their way of dressing, talking, dancing and their outlook on the world. That's at least if that person is very dedicated to the art. I´ve heard there are people that don't care about it at all, but well, that's hard to believe ;-).
Music has way more influence on people and the community than other art forms. Of course that worries the government. Pop music cant do much harm, it is easy to control it and has no meaning lyrical wise. Most Pop songs are about love or celebration. You could compare them to an innocent sitcom that wont leave a mark on the viewers mind. A real Hiphop song instead is like a real life documentary or a touching movie. It tells a story, a truth. Something that will make the listener think, may even turn that person into a rebellion. Because that's what Hiphop has always been about. Giving those a public voice that didn't have one before. Is it surprising that you don't hear those truth – speaking songs on the radio? Why do u think they rather play those with titles like "Chicken Noodle Soup (with a soda on the side)"? And I´m not joking, I have seen that song´s video on TV. The Listener is not to be educated. Not to have an open ear to whats really going on in the world. We are supposed to believe the world is a safe place where we can party all the time and listen to sweet lullabys before we fall into a sleep that never brings nightmares. What could we need mind stimulating music for since the world is such a great place?
The president doesn't want his nation to hear MCs talk about him neglecting the people that never voted for him. So real talk is banned from the airwaves and they play "Laffy Taffy" to make people that are already against Hiphop think its totally brainless. They are brainwashing people into thinking Rap music can harm their children and turn them into criminals. Yes, maybe those songs on the radio about sex & violence are bad for children, I´m convinced they are. But children wouldn't be exposed to that kind of music if the media would play that soulful rap the heads love. Because they have something more fundamental to write about than visits in the candy store.
I am not saying there should be no more party songs in Hiphop or on the radio. Celebration is also an element of Hiphop. But if you play the party music, give "Food for thought" a chance too. Like almost everything in this world most radio and tv stations are corrupt. So its no surprise to me we´re in the situation we´re in. Which doesn't mean we should keep quiet about it.
No matter how hard they try to make it look bad….I still love H.E.R…always have..always will
Music has way more influence on people and the community than other art forms. Of course that worries the government. Pop music cant do much harm, it is easy to control it and has no meaning lyrical wise. Most Pop songs are about love or celebration. You could compare them to an innocent sitcom that wont leave a mark on the viewers mind. A real Hiphop song instead is like a real life documentary or a touching movie. It tells a story, a truth. Something that will make the listener think, may even turn that person into a rebellion. Because that's what Hiphop has always been about. Giving those a public voice that didn't have one before. Is it surprising that you don't hear those truth – speaking songs on the radio? Why do u think they rather play those with titles like "Chicken Noodle Soup (with a soda on the side)"? And I´m not joking, I have seen that song´s video on TV. The Listener is not to be educated. Not to have an open ear to whats really going on in the world. We are supposed to believe the world is a safe place where we can party all the time and listen to sweet lullabys before we fall into a sleep that never brings nightmares. What could we need mind stimulating music for since the world is such a great place?
The president doesn't want his nation to hear MCs talk about him neglecting the people that never voted for him. So real talk is banned from the airwaves and they play "Laffy Taffy" to make people that are already against Hiphop think its totally brainless. They are brainwashing people into thinking Rap music can harm their children and turn them into criminals. Yes, maybe those songs on the radio about sex & violence are bad for children, I´m convinced they are. But children wouldn't be exposed to that kind of music if the media would play that soulful rap the heads love. Because they have something more fundamental to write about than visits in the candy store.
I am not saying there should be no more party songs in Hiphop or on the radio. Celebration is also an element of Hiphop. But if you play the party music, give "Food for thought" a chance too. Like almost everything in this world most radio and tv stations are corrupt. So its no surprise to me we´re in the situation we´re in. Which doesn't mean we should keep quiet about it.
No matter how hard they try to make it look bad….I still love H.E.R…always have..always will
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