Interview w/ Kevin of The Opus

"My love is to sit down and create."

DJ/producer Mr. Echoes of Chicago's groundbreaking crew The Opus lays it out...

How long have you been involved in hip hop and to what capacity?

Oh man, I’d say for me it goes all the way back to 1994 actually. I mean I’d been listening to stuff that came out in ‘89 like Grandmaster Flash and Kurtis Blow and the pioneers of hip hop. But I wasn’t heavily involved in it ‘cause I have pretty eclectic taste in music where I’m into a little bit of everything. Basically when Rakim and KRS One and Public Enemy came out – that stuff just blew me away like, ‘Whoa! What is this?’ Specifically with the BombSquad ‘cause I was always into music but I’d never really got into it where I actually wanted to be involved. What happened is when Public Enemy’s ‘Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’ came out that’s when I was like, okay I want to be a part of this scene, I want to make music like that. I always had different direction with music and what I wanted to do but when I heard their style of music specifically it just kind of opened my eyes up. And they came out and then KRS One came out with the whole sampling – not just sampling in general but to be able to use sampling as a tool to take a lot of bits and pieces of music – it made me want to do that. So at that point I started messing around and kicking around some ideas and then it was a couple years after, once I got my foundation of what I was actually doing together I started letting people hear my music and beats. Then after that I formed a group called Rubberroom back in ’95/‘96 and we started getting really serious about it. Everything started coming together, we started doing some shows, and people started liking our style and were really interested in the uniqueness of it. And from there it just kind of took off … even though as The Opus we’re sort of starting over again … ‘cause I’m not with Rubberroom for various reasons, you know. Being part of the industry you go through a lot where labels come and go. We kind of got caught up in the come-and-go of the labels which pretty much was detrimental to some of the other members of the group that, at that point, decided to disband. We as producers, me and my partner, we decided to keep evolving and not really being dependent upon others. So we solicit beats to other people but at the same time we still have a uniqueness as far as what we do with instrumental hip hop. Kind of like two worlds that we’re caught up in right now…

Yeah, I heard you got started producing international house music, right?

Exactly – like dance music. But not like that techno dance, more soulful type of stuff. ‘Cause back then there was no hip hop in Chicago, the only thing in Chicago was dance music. So like I said, when I first got my equipment I was experimenting with that a lot. Then when I heard what the Bomb Squad was doing with a sampler it just totally blew my mind. I was like wow, what am I doing? It was creative – it was taking little bits and pieces of music. And at that point it wasn’t like I was doing it to say okay I want to do hip hop now, I was really interested in how they did that, you know what I mean? I wanted to know how stuff like that could be done. Then once I got more involved it just started growing and growing. Even our stuff to this day is really not purely just hip hop instrumental, it’s not just purely hip hop sound – it can go from down-tempo type of style to a trip hop type of style or an electronica feel to it with this driven hip hop pattern of beat over it, so…

So you’ve just been DJing and producing then?

I don’t DJ too much anymore – more on the production side of things. And then we put out our own projects, they’re like instrumental projects – sort of like what [DJ] Shadow does or what DJ Krush does.

So do you put out mixtapes?

We just put out a mixtape last month. We actually put out albums too. Like I put out two albums, the first was ‘First Contact’ with Slug and Murs and I Self Divine and Aesop Rock. Right when these guys were getting hot we had the opportunity to work with them, then after that is what the story leads to after that. A couple of the projects – the last two full ones – are full length albums that came out of record companies. But then the last project we did was kind of like a compilation of some old, new, unreleased, imported stuff that we mixed together as a mixtape.

So if you had to classify your music – if you had to characterize it in some way – how would you describe it? If there’s some kind of message you’re trying to reach people with, what would you call it?

That’s a good question because if I had to reach people I would still call it hip hop ‘cause that’s what I was taught to be unique and different and to make your stuff sound like stuff that nobody has ever heard before. So I would still generally classify it as hip hop, myself. But it falls across so many different genres because of the ambient sound that we use. It can be very dark and grungy at times but then it can be very ambient. And it’s weird, like a lot of people ask ‘man, are you guys like really spiritual individuals?’ And I’m like, ‘well why do ask that?’ It’s because of the certain feel that it gives us or gives you. Sometimes it gives you a feeling of spirituality and enlightenment and sometimes people say ‘man, it’s very dark.’ It’s very moody. I would say our music is a very moody type of experience – it can go from angry and mad to very emotional and spiritual. So like I said, the general classification which I like to call it is still hip hop.

When you guys are handing out tracks to artists do you choose artists that you think can accentuate the moods of your music?

These days we don’t typically hand out tracks anymore unless specific people want to work with us, only because we’re working on our own projects as far as working on our own albums. Sometimes people don’t understand – we get a lot of people that tell us ‘man, we want some of that dark stuff, that moody stuff that sounds like Rubberroom.’ Then when we give it to them it’s not really a good fit – it doesn’t fit certain artists. We work with some artists but then some artists, once they get it, they just can’t envision it for some reason. It varies from time to time but I just give them whatever I feel. Now I’d like to be more specific about working with certain people, like a Qwel ‘cause I feel that he can really accentuate what we do. Or someone like Aesop. So now I guess it does become a bit more selective in who we try to work with.

What are your feelings on the hip hop scene in Chicago?

I think Chicago has such a big scene in that it just varies. Like on the West side of Chicago you have a completely different scene than what’s on the South side of Chicago – they even have a completely different sound. West side is known for more the CrucialConflict, Tongue Twista type of style, and there’s nothing wrong with that, that’s just the type of style that really comes out of the West side of Chicago. South side is Common-influenced, so you have a lot of production and you have a lot of artists that kind of go in that direction but not as, I don’t want to say not as conscious as Common, but more lyrical – you find a lot of lyrical artists on the South side. But then you can go further south and you’ll have a completely different scene which kind of reverts back to the West side scene of, not necessarily crunk music but that Twista type of style. Then you have the North side of Chicago that has more of a grass-roots hip hop feel to it. The scene is real diverse in what you get in a city. Even us, we’re on the West side and we make stuff that doesn’t sound like it’s from any side of the city. So you have a very diverse musical and lyrical range of people that work together collectively, that’s why I think one of our biggest advantages is that we don’t necessarily have a particular scene as far as styles because it’s all over the place. It’s almost like a sound clash – everybody gets to see exactly what everybody is doing.

What do you think about the development of the hip hop industry in Chicago?

I think that we have so much to offer that the industry has not really decided on what to do with us. Even with the success of Common and Kanye you would think that the industry would come and kind of check us out a little more but that’s not the case – we’re still consistently passed up which, in my opinion, harbors ill feelings towards the industry because no one’s coming to check you out so you have to keep building and building upon yourself and I think that once we get past waiting on the industry and waiting on a deal and collectively work together to go through the industry, to see that we can work together to have a solid foundation and a base and that we’re very supportive of each other, then I think the industry will come flock to us. But that’s kind of the hard part. I think that it’s getting better. I think that people are starting to work together to say ‘well, forget the industry. The industry is not here, they have no interest in us, they don’t care what we’re doing right now.’ Everybody who is getting on is getting on because they know either Common or Kanye and it becomes very very very selective. So you have a lot of people that are saying ‘hey, forget it, let’s do our own thing.’ So now you have labels that kind of cross-collaborate with other labels and build up a network in the city, which I think is a good thing cause I think that’s the only way that it’s going to happen. Even though you’d like for the industry to come calling, they’re not. Specifically with the fact that the sales of albums are really down now everyone’s being selective in what they do. I think that the industry has made us stronger to work with each other because they’re not here, so we have no choice but to work with each other, we have no choice but to build up our scene in the city and to get people involved in what we’re doing and what the scene is doing. And that’s how it works because you have no base, you have no legs as far as radio or labels, you know? It just becomes inherently tough. It’s a building process but it’s still building.

What’s you goal with regards to your music?

Unfortunately, that’s an all-in-one question because I do want to do it as a career, you know, that’s my love – my love is to sit down and create. Unfortunately, for me to sit down and create I have to do it eight hours a day and if I’m doing it eight hours a day I have to find an outlet to cover myself financially to do it eight hours a day. So it’s a very all-encompassing type of situation. But my personal goal would be to do it as a career and be able to take my artistry on the road and present it because this is the love that I have for it. It’s very tough to do that when you really don’t have a deal and you’re financing everything yourself. Or even if you do get a deal – we’ve had a couple deals – but not enough so that we’ve been put into a position to actually take our act on the road. And it could be mostly my fault, well not my fault, but because of my situation – I have a family, I have kids that I have to put through school. So when you’re not making the money to justify making it into a career it just becomes inherently harder to do that, you know? But again, that’s what I really want to do, I want to get in that place where I can make this a career – where I can be financially stable – and have fun doing it to show people that this is what I want to do, this is what I have to offer.

Who do you consider to be local legends or the most significant contributors to the local hip hop culture?

I think Common has made a very significant impact on the industry and on people in general in the city. Considering that a) he’s a great lyricist, b) he’s actually talking about things that make sense – his content is good. You know we’ve gotten so far away from that where everything is pretty much dance – and all that has its place, I’m not necessarily saying that there’s anything wrong with it, but when it’s out of balance. But when that’s all you have is one perspective I think that the balance is all out of whack. I think that he is helping develop another side of hip hop that needs to be developed.You’re only presenting one side of hip hop music and I think that Common is offsetting that balance by presenting another side of it where the things that he’s saying makes sense. I would even say along with Kanye. What Kanye is doing is presenting a whole other side of hip hop that talks about social issues and things that you can pretty much relate to. Like I said, you can only relate to the other sides of hip hop for so long, in my opinion. I personally can’t relate to it just because of what my situation is. As a father and a husband it’s not something that I can get into all the time. And I’m not a drug-dealer etiher, so… You know, a lot of the street rap, again it has its place but I think that these leaders like Common and Kanye are showing you another place of the music and another place lyrically that other people can relate to. So I’ve given them mucho kudos for that instead of them just coming out saying ‘okay I’m gonna do what I wanna do and make whatever type of music I wanna make just to make money’ and that’s not what they’re doing. They’re giving you a whole different perspective and that’s why I say that they are making a very significant impact, not just in Chicago but even across the world.

You mentioned Common and Kanye but what about Lupe Fiasco and Rhymefest?

I think they’re dope. I really like Lupe’s album. I forgot to talk about him. I think that he is definitely making that impact where it’s changing the game a little bit. I love them. I love Rhymefest. I love what they’re talking about – that whole Blue Collar style. That whole hard-working Chicago mentality coming out and working hard and not only just doing it to do it but doing it and having something to say and being able to make an impact with it – that’s the first and foremost thing to me. If you’re gonna do it, have something that’s relevant to say in the game. That’s how I personally feel about it, somebody else may say differently. Somebody else might say ‘man, I’m doing this just to make the money and sex sells right now and I gotta get paid.’ That’s fine, you gotta do what you gotta do but I really respect those that are very true to what they’re doing and aren’t broken down by what direction the industry is telling you to go.

So do you think there are any other local artists that are in the same league, with regards to lyricism and content as these other guys?

Oh yeah. You got Capital D from All Natural that I think is a very good lyricist. You got this one cat, Lord 360 who is a very relevant individual in the game to me. You got a few emcees. You got Algorhythmics – a crew on the South side. You definitely have a few people out here that got skills. Capital D’s ‘Return of the Renegade.’ Even his album before that was just kind of mind-blowing to me. You know he’s putting out what he wants to put out and saying what he wants to say.

Can you summarize where you fit into hip hop?

Where I fit in, what I took hip hop for was to be creative, from a production standpoint – to be a creative producer. To work with individuals that can see my side of the story. Even though a lot of people say ‘well you guys are kind of to the left of hip hop.’ But, what is hip hop? Hip hop has so many different sides to it that I could fit into that Beatmakers type of sound or that dark and grungy type of sound but I don’t see us really fitting anywhere, I see us hitting all over the place. Now, who do we want to work with – who would I want to choose to work with – is a whole different story to me. I feel right in there with everybody else, as far as from a production standpoint. I think that hip hop right now is all over the place in sound, you know. You got crunk, you got your diplomat sound, you got your soulful hip hop sound and I personally think we fit into all of that.

Check out The Opus' website: myspace.com/theopus

Interview w/ Grand Agent

[ "I give some specific thought to what would be on the minds of the late-twenties, thirty-something or even forty-something hip hop heads – that’s where it’s at now." ]


Philly-local and independent rap veteran Grand Agent tells what it means to be a hip hop head
all grown up:

How, when and where did you first get into making hip hop music?

My first time in a studio was 1994. Soon afterwards I built a four-track studio at my home and started producing and recording religiously. It’s pretty much has gone on since then in just that way… The from about 1986 I been listening to Philadelphia’s own Steady B., Schooly D., Fresh Prince. But until like ’94 is the time it took to put the decision to make records into action.

What’s up with the rap scene in Philadelphia? What type of rap are cats on over there? Is it industry-driven?

Different cats are on different stuff over here. Hood cats are on that hood stuff – gunplay-go bitches-drug dealer rap – which a lot of cars are pretty good at. It’s just conversational in the hood these days to be able to express that experience – your experience – your strength and hope in 16’s these days. Other cats who might go see Hiero(glyphics) or Atmosphere when they come to town are obviously of another scene. College – Temple, U. Penn, Drexel – seems to be where the two crowds bump heads the most. I would say only a small percentage of either set is really industry driven because you have to be looking beyond Philly for a serious music industry career. It has great music history and contemporaries, but not really a hub. Philly is the kind of place where you can get good because if you doing something along the entertainment lines it’s usually because you really just want to. And the audiences are way tougher than anywhere else.

What is the message behind the title of your upcoming LP ‘Adult Contemporary’? What are the themes of the music? Is this a new direction for you?

Adult Contemporary is about hip hop all grown up. Really targeting first and second generation hip hoppers without putting the music in a museum by calling it “old school” or burying it by calling it “underground.” It’s hip hop for people who grew up on hip hop; whose needs are not met by what passes for hip hop today in the mainstream sense of the word. For these reasons it’s “adult.” And for refusing to die and insisting on getting better with time, it’s “contemporary.”

What I’m trying to do is make a niche for people that have grown up with hip hop. Me, I’m older than the targeted hip hop audience so I was thinking of marketing things where I could appeal to people who grew up on hip hop. I wanna continue to make rap in the same kinda way that I knew it but not be relegated to categories that make it sound like something smaller than it is. Hip hop’s already gotten so far away from what it was that people have forgotten about what this shit is really about, you know man?! I think there’s a lot of people like me. I’m 33, I got a kid, and people I came up with is starting to have families and stuff – all the stuff we never thought we’d did when we was young and into hip hop shit, you know? This is for hip hop people that grew up on hip hop. But this ain’t no oldies shit, you know? It’s just a more mature brand of what’s out there.

The themes are the usual for Grand Agent, a full range of emotion. The only thing new about the direction, if anything, is that I give some specific thought to what would be on the minds of the late-twenties, thirty-something or even forty-something hip hop heads – that’s where it’s at now. And I took into consideration where we are in life and how much of how we deal with grown-up responsibilities was shaped by our finding the fountain of youth that is hip hop.

How much longer are you planning on doing this for? Do you have a specific goal you’re trying to reach?

I plan on making records until I expire in some capacity or another. I am definitely shifting a great deal of my focus and effort into getting my behind-the-scenes resume up so that when the time is right I can make a smooth transition into what now appears to me to be my real strong suit, which is creative direction and project-artist development. I do have a very specific goal which will reveal itself in time...

What type of musicians and music groups, not necessarily only hip hop artists, are making the kind of music you respect? Who should we all be checking out?

I been having the same responses to this almost forever. I’m just gonna drop one favorite male and one favorite female. Sly Stone, and Sade.

What are the last few books you read and the last few contemporary hip hop albums you checked out that you enjoyed? What did you like about them?

The last ill book I read was The Long Tail. It was ill because it basically confirmed a lot of suspicions I had already. I did a lot of the research on theories that had been floating around in my head for a while. And it just gave me crazy ideas. As far as albums – this isn’t too recent but I guess it’s contemporary – Nas’ ‘Lost Tapes Volume 1.’ I like that joint because it’s mysteriously cohesive for something kind of thrown together. But still I do get the feeling it was thrown together… So I would say that speaks a great deal to Nas’ creative risk-taking and work ethic.

Check Grand Agent's website: myspace.com/grandagent

Interview w/ Blame One

[ “Music is the only time I feel like I can go outside of myself and become something greater.” ]

'The Don' of North County San Diego, Blame One gives an insight into the life of a slept-on emcee in the day of commercial rap music:

Me: How did you first get into hip hop culture? Describe the moment you fell in love with hip hop.

Blame: I first got into hip hop in Edgewood, Maryland. Cats used to breakdance in front of my house. I joined in at a young age because I was mesmerized by EVERYTHING about the hip hop culture. I was even blessed to be walking and find Run DMC's first self titled cassette on the ground. I can still clearly see myself walking through the snow with my mom with Lasonic in hand playing Dana Dane’s ‘Nightmares.’ I started writing rhymes around 8 [years old] and recording at home shortly after. I still have the tapes. Some of those old self recorded songs are used as interludes on my upcoming album…

How and when did you begin actually making music and/or recording
tracks? What were you rapping about back then?

Like I mentioned earlier, I started writing around 8 and recording shortly after. I really didn’t think about it until Exile pointed it out to me recently but I was actually addressing some pretty socially conscious topics at a fairly early age. Of course I had some girl rhymes and the typical battle type shit as well.

How have you developed as a person because of your participation in hip hop? How has hip hop had an effect on your life?

It’s hard for me to say how I have developed because of hip hop because hip hop is all I have ever known. It’s more like a natural progression. For instance, I listen to all types of music now but that is due to people that I met through hip hop as well. Hip hop has
affected me in a tremendously positive way as far as the experiences that it has led me through. I’ve also been foolish enough to get caught up in hip hop trends like drinking Hennessy, which would be the negative effect it has had on me.

What do you mean by 'Grown Man Rap'?

I mean rap brought to you by cats who grew up in the era that I grew up in. Cats that were raised by Rakim and BDP.

What is the purpose of your music?

The purpose of my music is to be as human as possible. Have a positive attitude, reflect reality and show my flaws as well. I’m not a super star and I never will be. I want my music to be heartfelt even if I’m just spittin’ braggadocio lines. I want the listener to believe every word. Music is the only time I feel like I can go outside of myself and become something greater. It’s almost like my music is its own entity aside from me.

What does hip hop music mean to you?

Hip hop means the world to me. It has connected me to people all across the world and that sort of carries the one-love feeling that life needs.

What kinds of artists/producers/people do you tend to collaborate with?

I tend to collab with like-minded people or just people that I have respect for as artist. Other people that are passionate about the craft they work on, basically.

What's it like working with Exile? Anything new on the horizon? I'm
watching out…

I’ve been working with Exile for like 10 years plus now. He is basically the only person that has made me re-write shit, do-shit-10-different-ways-until-he's-satisfied type shit. But I respect that because I am happy with the end result. I just signed with a label called Soulspazm in New York. My upcoming album is called ‘Days Chasing Days’ and features Exile, OH NO, Black Milk, ALoe Blacc, Johaz, Blu, Sean Price, Rath Khy, Kan Kick, & More. Check the myspace for release dates www.myspace.com/rudebwoyblame After ‘Days Chasing Days’ comes out you can check for an entire album I am working on with my man Hoax…

What's being slept on right now? Who should people be checking for?
Musicians, artists, authors, books, movies, restaurants, philosophies…?

Jah is being slept on right now. Righteousness and being humble are being slept on right now. Kindness and brotherhood are being slept on. 100 artists in a sea of 100,000,000,000,000 myspace artists are being slept on right now.

What’s the significance behind your name?

Me and my homeboy Dame got arrested for doing a runner on clothes back in the days. There was a girl in the store at the time that he went to school with and she identified him in her yearbook for the police. Of course, He didn’t believe me when I told him that shit. Nevertheless, I never ratted him out. He later found out that I told the truth because the girl showed up to court. While I was doing my 40 days in juvenile hall, I started scribing the windows in my unit with "Blame" due to the fact that I took the blame.


Any last words to leave us with…

I think its time for all of us to change ourselves so that we can change the world. That’s the only way. If everyone attempted to Master Self, we would all be in good hands. Each one teach one. Thank you for taking the time to interview an underpaid and overworked artist. Blessings.

Check Blame's web page: http://www.myspace.com/rudebwoyblame

Interview w/ Qwel

[ “You don’t make yourself a king, other people make you a king.” ]

Rapper/graff writer Qwel of Galapagos4 hands over the keys to beats, rhymes and life:

Me: How did you get into hip hop, Qwel?

Qwel: Well, my first participation in hip hop was graffiti. I grew up in Harvey on the South side and I moved to Chicago right before I became a freshman in high school. It was funny ‘cause we didn’t have no graffiti writers in Harvey – it’s super ghetto, just gangbanging bullshit. So there was no organized hip hop scene, it was more like gangster shit. But I was always doing graffiti. I used to live right by the Metra tracks over on a 147^th and man, I’d just go paint those freights by myself before I even knew there was a world of people painting freights. But when I moved to Chicago in ’93 – we moved uptown – there was this big-ass wall called the Wall of Fame and it was right off the Sheridan stop on the El. There’s a big cemetery and there’s like a huge alley that’s right under the train and it’s painted – it’s like two and a half blocks long. Man, I used to just walk past there and see all these pieces and trying to read them and I would be out bombing doing my own thing. I didn’t even know that there were crews! I’d see X-Men and UAC and I was just like, ‘That’s a weird name for someone’s nickname…’ Then I found out they were abbreviations for crew names. But there was actually a building over there, between Clark and Broadway – I think it was the Alderwoman Helen Schiller’s headquarters over there. And she’d let some of the greatest Chicago graffiti writers of all time write over there. And the whole building would be decked and it wasn’t a big building, so it was like, really respectful – you’d let pieces ride. But I didn’t know nothing about graffiti, I’d just bomb little tags. But then this one day I was walking to the store with my mom and I walked passed and this guy DJ Trust – used to run All City Records – he was over there with these dudes Thor and Sec and KC and all these legends were just over there painting. So I just went and chilled and watched these guys for a while. I was like 13, 14, something like that. And they were super cool – super chill with me. They were showing me how to do it. So I’d say I’ve been actively participating – and it’s probably thanks to that Alderwoman, Helen Schiller, she’d just let motherfuckers paint over there. And it was broad daylight! But yeah, I met Denz over there – just prolific graff writers over there. And that’s how I got in and started learning about crews and dudes and heads of crews and beef with other crews – they just broke it down for me, they fathered me in that shit. So I’d say it was like ‘93 when I got into graffiti really hard. But, I mean, everybody listened to hip hop our whole lives. Everybody who was born after 1980 – we all listened to Too Short as kids and NWA and then went crazy when Sun Rises in the East came out and Nas came out. It was a good time for hip hop. And I participated but I don’t think I was that aware of the implications of participating in a culture, I was just trying to get my nut off, you know? I wanted to bomb for me, but the culture helped me learn – it’s interesting how it does that. It’s like a little underground railroad or whatnot. You can do it all your own but you save 10 years worth of making mistakes just talking to somebody who knows. It’s like passed down secrets to young bucks… But I didn’t even start rhyming until like ‘99…

How would you describe your music? What kind of message are you trying to pass on?

It’s hard… I would say my message – ‘cause I mean, I do songs about weed and songs about graffiti and whatnot. I guess if I have a message it’s like, trying to be the man ain’t that big a deal and while we’re in this motherfucker, the thing that’s important on this plain of existence for us now is to communicate between each other. We have to be honest with each other. And love isn’t always being nice to somebody sometimes. Love can be tough. Love can be mean. Vincent Van Gogh said that the only thing he could think of that was necessary for art to be classified as art is that it has to be consoling on some level – it has to console, and that’s what it is. That’s all this shit is. It don’t matter how cool I am, how slick I put my words together, how well I teach you two plus two is four or none of that shit. Man, you are not alone and I am not alone and we relate to each other on that level and that’s a beautiful start for anything, everything – that’s a good start. Love is something you do, it ain’t just some thing that happens – you know you gotta do it, it’s a verb. I could go on forever and ever about all the sub-messages but I don’t have a main message, I guess. I keep growing, I just had a kid and he just turned one. I got another baby coming in June. Man, you think you know what’s going down in the world and then you have a shorty and then you really know what’s really going down in the world. And you don’t know what’s going down in the world the whole time, you just kind of move along with it.

What are your thoughts on Chicago hip hop?

Well, first off I have to say that Chicago is, in my experience – and I’ve been to almost every major capital in Europe and every major capital in the US – there’s nothing like Chicago. It just breeds art. I just know from hip hop and the shit I know intimately, like my guys, the Nacrobats, the Molemen dudes, and all of our guys are just like… Other cities, they can have a good team – the Lakers can have their little three championships in a row and New York can have their big-money Yankees and all that, but when Chicago is the champ, Chicago’s the all-time champ, you know? Chicago’s not concerned about your little trophy, we’re concerned about having the greatest basketball team in the history of basketball, the greatest football team, you know? I think it comes from the third man complex that we have. Like, in Chicago, you’ll be in a cipher and your shit will be wack and they will let you know. And that’s what I mean about love not being nice all the time. I don’t think it’s out of hatred though – I’m sure hatred is everywhere though. I think we really feel a sense of urgency – just the mind state you get from living in Chicago. It’s this little square block by block city – just segregated little sections. It’s this ‘go big or stay home’ kind of mentality. And the thing is, Chicago doesn’t have an image. The hip hop scene does not have an image. You find more diversity, just if you look at DC5 or CMW. Man, they have more styles of graff writers in their crew than whole other cities, just because we don’t have no image. We have to make our own way. I think it’s a good place where people will be in a cipher and people will be honest with you and be like, ‘Man that shit is garbage, you better go work on that shit a little bit.’ It makes you go work on your shit. Something about the music – the blues in the city – I don’t know… But with the scene right now, it’s hard to say. I think what’s happening is that there’s going to be a big backlash. Five or six years ago people were like, ‘Man, fuck commercial shit. All that shit is wack, blah, blah, blah’ – never would listen to 50 [cent]. Now, some of the most righteous emcees listen to 50. I think ‘cause there’s a sense of Kanye blowing up and Lupe blowing up that people are starting to reach for the money. I think when they find out that you’re not gonna get paid because of your skill or your talent, necessarily – that there’s a whole other thing – I think Chicago’s underground is about to become really strong. And I tell you for a fact right now, when we go to LA, they are a hundred percent Chicago. The kids there like, ‘Chicago has the freshest underground music on the planet!’ We go to Berlin, the kids there tell me Chicago has the freshest underground music on the planet. When we go to Vienna, Paris – everywhere we go, except for New York ‘cause they don’t really give a fuck about nothing except for New York stuff. Everywhere now is like, ‘Man, Chicago is running the game.’ But we’re not getting rich or living their standard of running the game. As far as the art coming out, there’s nothing coming out of Chicago that doesn’t earn the utmost respect in other places. It’s funny. A lot of my homies, until people were jocking them out-of-town we didn’t get no love in Chicago. But I think a lot of the get-rich-quick-let’s-do-the-political-musical-latter-to-the-top-and-let’s-do-videos and all this bullshit everybody’s trying to reach for, that’s gonna wither away sometime pretty soon. People are gonna realize that it’s about the music you make. And in the meantime, all you can do is make good music, so just focus on that. There’s a lot of people who have been doing a lot of dope shit for a long time that ain’t getting their props. Matlock, The Molemen – they get some props but I mean, The Molemen should be making beats for everybody on the top of the game. I think it’s gonna be dope though when it does get discovered – the whole complete scene. I think somebody’s gonna be honest. Somebody’s gonna blow up from the scene and tell everybody about Chicago and then the world is gonna come in and start digging up old Nacrobats tapes or Ill-Nature shit or Vakill and them guys and Qualo and all this shit and it’s gonna be a treasure trove for the world. It’s an honor to be part of the Chicago scene ‘cause it is one of the world’s best-kept secrets. People are going to find it all at once and there’s gonna be so much diversity and style, man, people are just gonna gobble that shit up.

What do you think about the development of the hip hop industry in Chicago?

There is no hip hop industry in Chicago. There’s consignment at record stores still for some of the best emcees in the city. The politics in Chicago is going to single-handedly destroy underground hip hop in Chicago ‘cause they’re trying to make everything 21 and up for all the shows. Well, by the time you’re 21, if you’re not a fan already, you don’t give a fuck who’s on stage. You get the fire from hip hop when you’re like 14, 15 maybe – some younger, some a little later – but that’s when you’re really trying to climb the mountain and shout from the top of it, “This is my shit!” And if you can’t see shows until you’re 21 years old, all them kids are gonna be chillin’ at keggers complaining about ‘there’s no scene’ when there is a scene but you have to go buy beers to witness it. It’s fucked up man. One of the best places we ever had in Chicago to do shows was the Bottom Lounge – perfect size, perfect sound. The sound was butter. It was a perfect little club – low ceilings, the bass doesn’t resonate too hard – beautiful. And we did two shows over there – sold out. Crackin’ shows, all ages, no bullshit, no beef, no bullshit at all – just positive vibes. But then the dudes who throw the hip hop shows were like, ‘Yeah, the Alderman says we can’t do shows over here because the underground hip hop attracts punks and they go and tag up the block.’ They did that and they fucked themselves over. Now the building is gone and it was a perfect location, right off the Belmont stop. Same thing happened over at the Hothouse. G4 became like a pillar of hip hop in the city. People would come out and so much building got done. Our crew doubled in size just from communicating. We started helping put other people on. Then they were like, ‘Sorry, 21 and over now.’ They are going to kill this shit if they keep doing this. Nobody wants to go over and learn about hip hop at SubT[erranean]. No disrespect for that, but if you’re going to SubT you’re going to have a drink and kick it, you’re not trying to build.

What’s your goal with hip hop music?

Man, if I was trying to make money I’d’ve stayed in college. I would say my goal in this music – I want to ensure that while I’m here, none of the bullshit is going to be passed off as real shit. Every second I get is a chance I get to set the record straight. I want to be known as the illest of all time. I want to be known as being honest in an age of phoniness. And I love the fact that I’m not rich. And every one of my fans knows and every one of my homies knows that if I wanted to go make the money I could’ve made money off of this music – that I would’ve taken some deals that these people have come to me with already. And I could go do that bullshit. But instead I want my kid to listen to my music when I’m gone and by like, “Man, my pop was on some real shit. He did what we were supposed to do. He was trying to console people. He wasn’t just sitting around trying to do something he could’ve did flipping burgers” – you can rich flipping burgers too. I want this shit to get better, man. I compare us to the kids from 15 years before us and I see the advancement. And I want to hear our advancement. I want to hear the kid that grew up listening to my shit and now he’s twenty times better than me. I can’t wait to hear what that sounds like.

Where do you fit into Chicago hip hop?

I guess it was the Nacrobats. It was the first emcee crew that I was ever down with. They were the first dudes that ever showed me the ropes. They were honest with me. They let me get on music. And then Scam Artists – that dude Prime – hella put me on. Pugz hella put me on. Those two dudes are the reason you even know who I am. I was just some scumbag kid with no direction and just started freestyling with ‘em and shit and they were like, ‘Yo, man, you kinda cool. Let’s do a track.’ I was like, ‘Serious? We can do tapes?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah. Doin’ tapes is easy.’ And I was like, ‘Man, just to hear myself on a song would be fucking unbelievable!’ Then I think the Molemen really helped me get out of the city. Where I stand in Chicago hip hop – I think I’m one of the most respected. I think people really have a good sense that they can trust that I’m not gonna turn my back on the city after my shit is good or after I’m in a better position. I don’t know, I think maybe I can be the one that can be honest and tell the whole world, ‘Man, you never heard of Qualo? You love that double time shit? You love that chop shit? So why not go listen to some of the originators of that shit?’ Or, ‘You guys like punchlines? You ever heard of Vakill or Juice? You ever heard old Rhymefest shit? Why don’t you go check that shit out? Why don’t you go check out some PNS beats, while you’re at it? Why don’t you go check out NoID or Doug Infinite, you ever heard of him? Just go check this shit out.’ I hope I’m a king in this Chicago hip hop scene. But you know, you can never know you’re a king. You don’t make yourself a king, other people make you a king.

What Chicago artists do you consider to be legends of hip hop?

Capital D. That motherfucker threw the whole punchline age into many different phases of hip hop trend that people caught on to back in the days when Chicago emcees would front like they were from New York and didn’t give a fuck about the city. He always was just doing his thing. Probably all the All Natural dudes. I’d have to say the most slept on is probably Qualo – I love that shit. Some of their shit is a little bit rough for most people, but it’s journalism. That shit’s phenomenal. Their shit is nasty! The Molemen – they get respect but it’s a shame they get more respect out-of-town when I go places. Kids in Germany never heard of nothing I ever did except for shit that’s been on compilations I did with the Molemen. Man, there’s so many. For music, I’d say Juice – you can’t sleep on Juice. That motherfucker… it’s probably easier for him to freestyle than for him to conversate. I really love Kanye’s beats. He has already changed the bigger mainstream, he dropped a rock in the mainstream that put ripples and now everyone’s trying to put the same ripples in the stream now. I really respect Matlock a lot – he’s really witty. Infinito – he was putting out vinyl back when we were still trying to get our mixtapes. Pugslee gets the most respect from me out of everyone in Chicago, just for the fact that he was the gateway for more people than will be honest with you than I’m being. He is one of the main reasons why probably 60 or 70 percent of everybody in the city is rhyming right now, just because he wasn’t like, ‘Hey, get on my record,’ he was like, ‘Hey, let’s go a compilation record. Why don’t you get your shit out and then I’ll show you how to do this shit yourself and then you go do this shit yourself?’ Prime has been grinding on this shit – he’s changing his music right now and it’s really hard to know that people are conscious of one of your sides and then you try to show them another side. That’s really hard for a man to do – it’s just making yourself vulnerable. But I think once he gets through that shit he’s gonna have a lot of people’s respect. And then, for hip hop in general – Raven, a graff writer from SB Crew. That motherfucker’s a school teacher. He teaches kids how to break. Walka from the Brickheads teaches youth classes for breakdancing. That’s another thing about Chicago people forget about – Chicago people ain’t no joke, especially compared to the rest of the people on the planet. Chicago’s one of the last b-boy cities there is. …Just everybody, man. And I’m excited about this generation too ‘cause I think this generation is more willing to instruct the youth. I was lucky that those OTR and THC dudes were cool with me ‘cause a lot of the crews in those days didn’t take on young bucks – I don’t think our generation is like that. I think we’re gonna make it better. The list goes on and on. Of course, my crew. My crew been through so much shit – just individual walks of life…still being broke. You know one thing that’s really hard is knowing that you’re one of the freshest emcees on the planet – and not being egotistical – but just knowing that you’re one of the most innovative crazy motherfuckers that’s changing this shit and just being broke as fuck while wack-ass dudes are getting all the shine …but that’s just how it works. You know David Bowie records didn’t really sell until after they came out? People didn’t discover the shit until years after they came out! Same with Pink Floyd. Same thing with grips and grips of motherfuckers who are innovators. I talk too much. Speaking of which, I gotta go, man – gotta go pick up some groceries with my girl… Peace.

Check Qwel's home page: http://www.myspace.com/qwelg4

Interview w/ Iomos Marad

[ “Rap is business music. Hip hop is cultural music.” ]

Chicago emcee Iomos Marad of All Natural, Inc. speaks his peace:

Me: How long have you been involved in hip hop and to what capacity?

Iomos: I been doing it for like fifteen years as an emcee and a musician—I play the drums.

Can you describe any common message that runs throughout your music?

Yeah, basically it’s about high morality and value. I don’t curse in my rhymes ‘cause, I mean, we’re supposed to be intelligent people. Anybody can curse, but I’m trying to be an intelligent person that can speak coherently in a time where there’s a lot of music that’s incoherent, you know what I’m saying? I’m basically trying to keep my eye on morality value and talk about social things that’s going on in America and abroad.

What are your feelings on hip hop in Chicago?

I would say it’s good and bad. Good in the sense that Chicago artists are coming out, but bad in the sense that I don’t like the direction that hip hop is going in. It seems to be geared more toward what you got on—what you wearing, your image. It doesn’t really have anything to do with a message, you know? I’m not knockin’ artists that do what they do, but in this day and age I think we really need to talk about some issues that’s going on instead of talking about what we’re driving or what we got on our backs.

And you think that’s what’s going on in Chicago right now?

No, I wouldn’t say here, per se. But there’s a few groups—I’m not gonna name any names—that seem to be on that.

But what about the recent surge of rappers that have blown up in Chicago? It seems like they’re talking more about social and political issues and taking the mainstream of hip hop in a new direction.

I think we got more to offer—I think Chicago has a lot to offer. And I think that the people that’s been doing it for a long time are not getting the recognition that they deserve. And I’m not even talking about myself, I’m talking about artists like Akbar, All Natural, Primeridian, Mass Hysteria—these are artists that have been doing it for a long time and they’re not getting the recognition they deserve.

What do you think about the hip hop industry here?

Is there industry here?! In my opinion, guys like Kanye and Common are putting on people that they know. That’s how it is though—when you get on you want to put your people on. But what about the people that paid their dues—people who have been doing it for way longer than them? To let you know what my position is, I’m a hip hop purist. I think a lot of this music is effecting the way that young people—I look at it from young people’s perspective. Ain’t no rappers telling them to abstain from having sex until you get married or to build a family. Even the so-called conscious emcees—their life ain’t living up to what they actually talking about. They could do a positive joint but then after a show you see them dippin’ out with three groupies—like they’re not living what they’re preaching. And that’s what we need more than anything. I think that you should give [listeners] a variety. Don’t just give them Snoop Dogg, give them Asheru, give them some KRS-One, give them some Rakim, give them some Lil John, you know? Back in the day there was more variety. You didn’t just have Poor Righteous Teachers. You had Poor Righteous Teachers, NWA and Del the Funky Homosapien—you had a wide variety of music that people could choose from and not just one particular sound. Let the people choose what they want to listen to, but that’s just my position…

It seems to me that the hip hop underground is moving along slowly but surely – like the demand for a wider variety of hip hop sound is shifting the market a little bit. What do you think?

I would agree, but another problem that’s in Chicago is that all the wrong people are in the right positions. What I mean is that you got somebody that’s showing favoritism or whatever. They put their people on just because they know them or whatever. If they don’t know you but they know you’re talented, they’re still going to put their people on before you—that’s just politics I guess. And I believe that’s why All Natural, Inc. isn’t where it should be. I’m a part of All Natural—anything I do represents All Natural 'cause I’m on that label. And that’s one of the reasons I chose to roll with All Natural—because All Natural has a standard and a positive image that they want to portray. Even myself, when I first got down with them, I had to grow and mature ‘cause I was out acting ignorant myself while putting out positive lyrics. And it comes to a point where it’s like “Man, am I gonna keep acting this way or am I gonna act the way my songs portray?” It’s just a level of maturity and once I came to that level…I’m back in school getting my education. I’m doing other things besides just music. I want to be an activist in the neighborhood. I want to be somebody that’s not talking about “we need to change this and that”—I want to be in the trenches with the people. That’s my position. I been down with All Natural for about seven years ‘cause I like what they stand for, I like what they represent. And sometimes I thought maybe I should get with a major [record label] but if you get with a major label they’re going to try to give you an image that they want you to portray and I want to be myself. I want my music to represent me. I don’t want my music to represent my A&R or represent some record label that’s gonna have me talking about things I never did before. I feel what Busta Rhymes said a long time ago: “There’s a difference. There’s hip hop music and there’s rap music.” And everybody is trying to shove rap music under the umbrella of hip hop but it’s not! Rap is business music. Hip hop is cultural music. Hip hop music instills the culture—tagging breaking, DJing, you know? It ain’t something you just put on and take off. We live this everyday. I think about rhymes all the time, even when I’m reading a book I’m just consciously thinking about it. But rappers will say anything to get dough 'cause it’s business music—they’re in it for the dough, they ain’t in it for the love. That’s just my opinion and I’m sure a lot of artists that are emcees would agree.

What’s you personal goal with hip hop music?

I don’t really have any particular goals. Basically what I want to do is keep putting out music. I’ma definitely keep putting out music. I got at least eight more albums in me, ten more albums in me, and I’m thirty-five! I look young but I’m thirty-five! It’s a blessing that I look young 'cause a lot of people think I’m sixteen 'cause of how young I look, but I’m thirty-five years old and I still got at least ten albums in me, man. And it seems like I’m falling in love with the music more and more, especially since artists like Oddisee and Kev Brown and the Low Budget Crew out of Maryland, Asheru—I been inspired by Asheru for a long time, seeing that he’s a [school] principal now. I’m inspired by that. J-Live, who’s a school teacher. Sadat X used to be a teacher. Defari is still a teacher. I want to put myself with those names, with those artists as being a school teacher. I’m doing music ‘cause I love it and I think I’m good at it. If the money comes, it comes, but that’s not my main goal. My mother says I should think that way but when I sit down and write a song my intentions aren’t like, “Man, I’m ‘bout to make some cake offa this song.” My intentions are, “I hope somebody hears it and it can help change somebody’s life or help somebody look at life in a different way.” My ultimate goal is to become a teacher and keep putting out records. That’s it, that’s all I want to do. That way—me working as a teacher—I’m already set financially and I can keep my message the same. And I want to get into other ventures too. I want to own a bookstore, kind of in the tradition of Mos Def and Talib Kweli. There’s a lot of things I want to do that’s sort of outside music but you can incorporate all of them within the music as well. I want to open a twenty-four-hour Rec. center for kids so they can go play ball instead of the running the streets, you know—teach them how to get jobs, teach them how to be entrepreneurs. I want to be involved. But I think music is the key to unlock that door. I think TJ Crawford [of the Chicago Hip Hop Civic Engagement Project] is a guy that’s doing it socially as well. He ain’t just talking about it, he’s being about it here in the community. In the African American community there’s a void—the family is broke down. Most kids are raised by their grandmother or their aunt, no mother and no father in the home. We need everything in place—I want to see that in the black community again and the Hispanic community as well. So I’m just trying to be uplifting, man. And I think music is the key to do that.

Where would you say you fit into the Chicago hip hop music scene?

I started back in high school with my cousin, Leon Rogers, who’s a personality on TCI now. When I was young I wanted to do whatever he did. He was the one that introduced me to hip hop. I remember the first time I went to his crib he was playing the Jungle Brothers’ ‘Straight Out the Jungle’ and I was like, “Dang!” And then I heard Q-Tip and I was like, “Yo, I wanna do that!” And all through high school my cousin was known for rapping—his name was Clever back in the day. He was the dude that rapped in our neighborhood. I wanted to do everything he did—he went and got a Gumby haircut, I went and got a Gumby haircut. So I went away to school to Rutgers University and wasn’t doing what I was supposed to be doing as far as school, and I met a guy named Tuffy from Baltimore and he taught me how write my first rhyme. Then I started getting into rhyming and stopped going to my classes. So then when I came back home I figured out I had a talent for free-styling. I didn’t have to write it, I could just come off the head, so I was like, “This is what I want to do. I want to do music.” So I got back to Chicago and my mother came to one of my talent shows and she was like, “Man, you’re just like everybody else standing up there rapping. Why don’t you try to do something different? Why don’t you do different poses when you rhyme or something?” And I was just shooting down her ideas. Then she said, “Why don’t you play the drums and rhyme at the same time,” and I was like, “Dang, that’s a good idea!” So then I went and developed drumming on my lap and rhyming and was like, “Dang, that’s it!” So then I went to do my first show and I brought the drums out and I did it and everybody was like, “Man, that’s your ticket!” So I just kept performing whenever I could and eventually got up with Jesse De La Pina who was doing the Elbo Room and the Double Door on Monday nights. He had me doing a bunch of shows with him at the Blue Groove Lounge and that’s where Tone B Nimble saw me, and that’s how I got down with All Natural. That, and also I used to hang out up at Columbia all the time and that’s where I met Mr. Greenweedz. And Greenweedz was telling me all about All Natural and the label and I was like, “Word?” He was like, “Yeah, you can try to get down too.” So Greenweedz saw me perform and told Cap D [founder of All Natural, Inc.] about me, like, “Yo, you need to check this dude—this dude raw!” So he did and Cap D was like, “Dang, yo! I want you on a song.” So then he called me up one day and that’s when we recorded ‘Deep Rooted’ and that was first song I ever did with him. Then Tone was like, “Yo, man, we want to be on our label.” But it started as a love for me—it was always a love for me. I never had the intention that I wanted to be a star. I mean, I always wanted to be like Tribe or De La Soul and be on a platform like that when you can tour and see the world, but I have a whole different goal to it now. Marvin Gaye said, “Music should reflect the times that we living in,” and the music that’s out right now ain’t doing that, as far as rap music. There should be a lot more rappers talking about the war [in Iraq] or what’s going on in these neighborhoods—they pushing people out their homes, man, and building condos! Music should reflect the times and I don’t feel the majority of the music is doing that.

Who are some local Chicago hip hop artists you consider to be legends?

Akbar, Cap D and All Natural, Danski, Common, of course, Primeridian, Mass Hysteria, GQ the Teacher—those are the majority of the ones right there.

Is there anything else you’d like to add about hip hop in Chicago?

I think Chicago is one of the realest places that’s doing the music the same way. I heard Large Professor when he came here—he was like, “Yo, man, I feel like I’m in New York back in the heyday!” Chicago is a beautiful city, man. I love where I’m from, but sometimes I feel like it’s not represented correctly. Back in the day, Common was all about Chicago—the perfect representation of Chicago: bubble coat, skull cap, baggy jeans. That was Chicago all day, you know? And Twista, he represented the West side, but it was still Chicago. Crucial Conflict—West side all day. The music industry, period—not just Chicago—seems watered down. It’s watered down, man! We need somebody who ain’t scared to speak the truth—like Biggie and Pac. Pac could tell you the truth in a minute. Biggie could tell you the truth in a minute. KRS-One could tell you the truth in a minute. Rakim is speaking the truth. Akbar, Cap D—speaking the truth. Cap D, with his last album ‘Return of the Renegade,’ is saying so much stuff that expands the political and social and worldview. And I’m an avid book reader—the books that I read got me open. They help people discover what their worldview is. It ain’t just about Chicago—with the internet, we living in the age of information. The world is getting smaller, so there needs to be more information in the music. I could go on and on about this… We need more activists, man. When you die, you can’t take all that jewelry and stuff with you!

Check out Iomos' home page: http://www.myspace.com/iomosmarad