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