It’s not breaking news at this point, but in the hip-hop world, no one is touching T.D.E. The Los Angeles-based team of Ab-Soul, Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock and Isaiah Rashad is loaded with talent, and with nine albums combined over the past three years, they have yet to shoot a brick. It’s evident that they are students of the game, with a deep respect for the craft and culture. Favoring quality over quantity, and exercising patience in pursuit of perfection, they have earned the top spot with pure skill, sans gimmicks. The strength of the dynasty though is their unique but complementing personalities, and none is more bold and boundless than Ab-Soul.

From his flowing hair and dark shades, to his wordplay and concepts, it’s clear Soul is a free spirit. With his debut Longterm Mentality (2011), and more widely recognized Control System (2012), Soul established himself as the thinking man’s rapper, a mad scientist of sorts: wise beyond his years, willing to experiment with styles and substances in an effort to explore and expand. From conspiracies and religion, to drugs and love, he tackled it all with a fresh perspective, assuming the role of educating through rap. While folks were quick to label him a “conscious rapper” due to his content, doing so was only hearing one side of a man with exponential potential.

In June 2014, at 27 years young, Soul released These Days, an album he explains is a reflection of the times. No longer the unknown or overlooked MC, he stepped up and knocked out his most diverse album to date. Still sharp, still dropping science and always having fun in the process, These Days shows an MC finding his groove with no intention of slowing down or getting comfortable.

Submerge caught up with Soul on a Sunday morning as he relaxed in his tour bus bunk before he stopped in Sacramento on Oct. 19, 2014.

Photo by Slick Jackson

How do you enjoy tour life? Is it fun, work or a constant battle between the two?
It’s all of that, but this is the dream. This is what we came here for. It’s work in terms of movement, but I’m having a great time.

Are you able to get a lot of writing done?
I write all the time. I don’t necessarily use paper or utensils; words come to me constantly. The writing never stops. I’m always creating and composing, whatever the circumstance may be. I’m always creating and observing, always trying to come up with something clever to say. Even right this second.

Talking about how you’re always writing, and how where you’re at is all part of the dream of making it, how have things changed as the stakes get higher and your craft becomes a career?
I won’t say it’s a job, but I would say it’s more of a responsibility. I have a larger audience to cater to now. There are a lot more people that want to ask me questions, like yourself, and I have a responsibility to do so, even though I’m like half passed out in my bunk on a bus right now [laughs].

What about with recording? Do you take that same responsibility with you?
Yeah, absolutely, but I talk about what I want to talk about. I don’t talk about what I think I need to talk about. There is nothing that I have to talk about, but I try to talk about whatever it is that I want to talk about.

You strike me as a pretty heady person. Do you ever find yourself becoming a victim to your thoughts, or does writing/recording free you from that?
I don’t like phrases like “you’re thinking too much” or stuff like that. I don’t think you can think too much. Your brain is a very powerful tool. I’m optimistic, though… As much as I may be in my head all of the time, I understand that I don’t have all of the answers. I’m not afraid to ask questions, or reason with anyone. So, even if I am in my head so much, I’m not afraid or ashamed to be incorrect or get to the bottom of something.

I really dig the album, but I know there are groups of people who were expecting a Control System 2. Can you talk about expectations, and people wanting to keep you in a box?
People love this album man! With These Days I was just trying to capture as many sounds of the times as possible. I challenged myself to create a project that everybody could relate to today. Even if you wouldn’t expect me to do a song like “Twact,” I challenged myself to try and cover as many of the sounds as possible. But yeah, I think people feel like a negative response makes people want to respond more than positive responses. These shows have been great, though, so I don’t know who is saying what. I think we’re just reading comments from folks who don’t get out of the house.

On “Ride Slow” you say, “These rhythms are visions of me living colossal. Ahead of my time, in time you’ll find that I’m a fossil.” Can you elaborate more on that?
Yeah, I mean these rhythms are literally visions of me living colossal. All art transcends art, so as a rapper, sometimes I’m a painter, a storyteller. We as rappers, we embellish a lot, make things more colorful than they may actually be by using crazy analogies and metaphors. If I’m ahead of my time, as a figure of speech as an old soul, then I could potentially be a fossil. An old monument that still holds value. Shout out to Mac Miller on the beat…real spooky beat.

Word, yeah I understand you were on a good one when you recorded that song.
Yeah, yeah hell yeah. I had the tabs on my tongue. We did it in like 20 to 30 minutes. I had my verses ready by the time he finished the beat… With that, please be responsible with the psychedelics. They are mind-altering. I’m not trying to persuade anyone to do any of that.

I get the feeling it’s not recreational for you, but more of a spiritual thing.
Definitely. I take a scientist approach with almost everything I do. It’s like an experiment. An experience. A lot of legendary people that we look up to dabbled in these things, so I’m trying find the connection between them and this.

On the cover, you’re pictured bloodied, wearing a crown of thorns, sitting in front of wooden cross. It’s a powerful image, and I’m curious what moved you in that direction to represent the album.
I feel like these days Jesus has become one of the most popular figures. I just feel like religion has been heavily referenced in music, like the gods are back. The God MCs are back, like Rakim and them. I think Jesus represents all of us, and that is another message that I’m trying to get across. Being willing to sacrifice yourself for what you feel is the greater good. Being able to sacrifice yourself to tell the truth, because you feel like it’s important to be honest. I think Jesus represents all of us, personally. If you’re willing to take that sacrifice for your greater good, for your people, then you too can be Christ-like.

And this extends past rap I imagine.
Absolutely… I do have hair of wool and feet of bronze though, so you never know [laughs].

Was there a moment over the past couple years where you felt like it was clear this is your destiny?
It has been a series of events. What has been remarkable to me, since I’m on this…you know everyone wants to attach me to this conscious or spiritual type of wave. What’s ill is that there has been MCs kicking this shit before I even started rapping. Before I knew what rap was! These same concepts that I’m speaking on have been spoken on long before I picked up a pen or really listened to rap music at all. So for me to be here, speaking on these same things without having the knowledge of all of the stuff that has been said before, it’s spiritual. This is supposed to be said. Jay-Z has been J-Hova this whole time, and I don’t think people really notice that. We’ve been God MCs from the beginning. Rakim done made hip-hop a religion. So for me to be here, describing these things in my music, and then going back and hearing these same concepts being spoke on, I feel like it’s all supposed to happen. I’m sure I haven’t said nothing that hasn’t been said twice. No idea is original; there is nothing new under the sun. But for me to be here speaking on these things and gain respect from artists who I respect, I feel like that our purpose is clear. You know, push intelligence in our movement, our religion.

Hip-hop artist Riff Raff has a style that’s impossible to duplicate

When you see or hear Riff Raff, you won’t forget him. Nothing about him is ordinary, and it’s not an act. From the neon clothes and flashy jewelry, to his off-kilter flow and bizarrely genius wordplay, he is the definition of unique. While he cashes checks from rapping, he doesn’t feel comfortable confined to the role. This is the music business, and even bigger, the entertainment business. And Riff Raff is a damn good entertainer.

Born in Houston (perhaps the one clear influence on his sound), much of his back story is intentionally shrouded in mystique. Where the line between man and the character we know as Riff Raff crossed is unclear, and whether there is even a difference at this point seems unlikely. For journalistic purposes this can be frustrating, but as a listener, it enhances the enjoyment by upping the bizarre. Whatever it is, his unconventional approach has been a recipe for success. Everything about his campaign is loaded with viral fodder, from a YouTube channel boasting more than 120 awe-inspiring videos (mostly music and some skits) to his debut album Neon iCon, set to drop on Diplo’s Mad Decent label this year. What is next, no one knows, but it’s playing out in a way that is hard to stop watching and listening.

It may make a person cringe, but there is something genuinely enjoyable about his quest to be the greatest entertainer—not rapper—in music. The air of not caring is obvious, and not only does it look fun, it’s enjoyable to witness. To be honest, words don’t do the man justice. Riff Raff needs to be experienced. Sacramento will have its chance as the man will be gracing the Ace of Spades stage on May 12.

How much of what you’ve accomplished, and where you’re at today, was planned?
Day by day my choices change. You may have some feelings one day like you want to do something, and the next day you might have a whole different outlook. I just try to make progress with what I’m comfortable with. When it started to be more about music, that’s when I started to really try and make better songs. Is music all I want to do? No. At different stages I want to do different things, but right now it’s about this Neon iCon album.

Do you see yourself always doing music?
I don’t know what I want to do next, I just take it day by day more or less.

Are you in complete control of how everything is presented, from the music to the image and all that?
I don’t have someone who dresses me or anything, unless I’m doing a big magazine shoot or something. I wear what I want. I’ve always been a fan of jewelry. I get different vibes from different things, so if I feel a certain way one day I’ll wear this, and the next day I might wear something totally different. The same way a chameleon changes the color of their skin based on their environment, or their mood. Clothes are just a way to express how you feel. Yeah, I could be a stylist for people.

It seems like all the neon colors are becoming pretty popular, would you see that and then change it up as a response?
No, people can go look at my pictures from 10 years ago and see I’ve been rocking this. I don’t dress the same every day, but I’ve always loved neon colors. It’s amazing…OH SHIT, I think the tour bus just hit something… Anyway, it’s amazing how people will say they don’t like something I do, and then something will happen, and then everyone is doing what I was already doing. I don’t like being like that, but whoa, man, I have a lot of people who use my style. They would never admit it. They couldn’t admit it because they don’t want to do that.

Are you a believer that imitation is the best form of flattery?
No, no no no. People can try and say that, but no. It’s competition. It’s not admiration; they’re trying to be you. There are two different kinds: where people are looking up to you and might get some braids and wear neon because they like Riff Raff. But then you have someone like, “Fuck Riff Raff, I’m the one who started with the braids and neon clothes,” then it becomes somebody being salty. It’s all fun or whatever. There are probably a million people who were Riff Raff for Halloween.

Can you laugh at it at least, looking at it from both sides, and know you affected people one way or the other?
Yeah, man I just got a crazy style that’s hard to copy. James Franco couldn’t do it, so what makes any random person think they can?

That’s the number one rule in hip-hop, no biting!
It’s OK to bite, but don’t copy someone’s style and then deny it and act like it’s you. Don’t do that. Ever. If you want the aqua berry braids, you can get the aqua berry braids, just use the hashtag “NEONNATION” or something.

But they can’t match it up with the aqua berry bracelet and aqua berry grill though…
Yeah, exactly and don’t forget it.

Are you constantly writing stuff down or taking notes, or do you just sit down and write a song on the spot?
Randomly, I’ll do that, but usually I just like to hear the beat and write to that.

What kind of rapper would you say are?
I’d say… I’m like a Versace Kaleidoscope rapper. If you look into a kaleidoscope, it’s always changing, and you see all these colors blending together. The lights and colors, you can’t really explain it, you just gotta see it to believe it. I envision stuff while I write. When I say it, if just half the people who listen can envision the same thing, then we connect right there. Some people rap to explain themselves and paint that picture. I’m not trying to paint a picture so that people understand who I am. I don’t do that. When I do my songs, I say what I see on the beat. It’s like an audio movie. When I wake up in the morning, I don’t watch the news, I watch cartoons. The news makes me feel bad, but cartoons are funny. When I write, I have the same mentality. I want to write shit that when I read it, it feels good. Nobody wants to hear about problems. I want to hear about something out of this world, something bigger and better than what’s going on. I want to hear about aliens, and haunted houses, stuff like that.

Since there is nobody in your lane, do you feel like you are your own competition to dig deeper and visualize something crazier and crazier each time?
Umm, shiiit. Yeah, I just gotta come up with crazier and crazier shit, ya know what I mean? I am in my own lane for sure.

Do you ever shock yourself with the stuff you say?
Of course.

Is it entertainment for you?
Yeah, if it wasn’t my life wouldn’t be fun and I wouldn’t be happy. If you’re not happy, that sucks.

What is downtime like for you?
Swimming. I like to swim.

Do you separate from Riff Raff the persona, or is it all in the same now?
I do whatever I want, when I want. It’s always me. I don’t have a wife or kids, or have this hidden life. Everything you see is just how I do shit. It’s controlled; I did this on purpose. I don’t have a wife and kids, or people telling me what to do for a reason. I always had a dream of making a lot of money, buying the best jewelry and having the prettiest girlfriend. That’s just how it is, because that’s what I want. Every day my outlook changes, but it’s hard to be anything but me.

That’s that rap life for real.
I don’t call myself a rapper, that’s real stereotypical. I don’t think people can judge me until they hear my first album, Neon iCon.

So what’s a better title?
An artist.

The Neon iCon himself, Riff Raff, will perform at Ace of Spades in Sacramento May 12, 2014 with Grandtheft, Diamond Dez and JG. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $23 and can be purchased through Aceofspadessac.com, Entlegends.com or at Getta Clue, Dimple Records or Armadillo in Davis. Dress to impress!

TJ of 1st Place Comes to Terms with switching from Hyphy to Alt-Rap

To Bay Area rap fans, the frontman for 1st Place may look familiar. A few years back he went by the name Stresmatic, onethird of the group The Federation. Infamously known for their hit song “Hyphy,” and the ensuing, now-classic, self-titled debut, The Federation were a heavy force behind the Bay Area renaissance of the mid-‘00s. Deals with Virgin Records and later Warner Brothers put them on the national stage, and while the Hyphy movement as a whole didn’t take off, the group left an undeniable mark on hiphop. While still family, each member of The Federation embarked on solo ventures, and thus 1st Place was born.

When he came back to Northern California after a stint in Los Angeles, Stresmatic, now known as TJ, linked with his childhood friend and producer Kyle Murphy (aka Dirty Beats) and got back to work. The friends from Fairfield, Calif., began working at a dizzying pace, experimenting and developing a sound to call their own. It was a fresh start, a chance to change and do something different, and most importantly do it all on their own. Since 2007 the group has put out over a dozen albums; a mix of produced and programmed beats, to some projects backed up by a live band. The party vibe carried over from The Federation days, but recording independently (both as an artist and from a record label) opened up the avenues for expression, allowing TJ to be more candid and self-aware.

Though he’s at peace creating what might be considered alt-rap, TJ keeps one foot in the mainstream world. A writer at his core, he has made a career of crafting hooks for heavyweights such as E-40, Lil Jon, Snoop and Ghostface. His gift for stringing words together into phrases that stick to the brain is prevalent in the hook-heavy 1st Place sound, and ensures that if nothing else, you won’t forget them. In the following interview, TJ speaks about some of his earlier music influences, reflects on his time with The Federation and admits that sometimes his music with 1st Place can be a bit too honest.

What were some of your earliest encounters with music and how do you think it shaped where you’re at today?
I remember the first concert I went to was this Live 105 concert in Golden Gate Park with this group Crowded House. They played this acoustic set, and that right there made me want to do music. I saw the attention they were getting, and I said to myself I want to do that. But growing up I listened to a lot of Bay Area rap, hella Tribe Called Quest and Redman, but I had an uncle who listened to all the New Wave stuff and groups like The Smiths. It sounds weird, but I listen to more of that stuff than I do rap these days. I love how it sounds. Now music sounds too perfect. That music sounds dirty, like it was recorded on a four-track or something. It’s just gives me a feeling that I don’t get from anything else. People see me walking, thinking I’m probably listening to 2Pac, but I’m probably listening to Depeche Mode.

So did you start off rapping or did you ever try to put together a band?
My friend Kyle, who does a lot of the 1st Place beats, his dad had this guitar and I would always tell him that we should start a band. This was probably like fourth grade. I was always over there messing with it, and his dad would get mad because I was constantly playing it. Nothing ever happened, but I’d say around high school is when I started rapping a lot. There were these battles at this store in Fairfield called the Fonky Chicken, and I was winning all of them. That’s where I met Rick Rock and Doonie Baby [of the Federation]. They had their thing going with Cosmic Slop. Rick had already done stuff with dudes like 2Pac and stuff so it was crazy. I stayed in contact over the years, and eventually just by being around and in the studio, we started a group.

I understand you were also heavily into bikes and racing as a kid too, is that right?
One of the first things I did when I got my advance for the first Federation record was go to Ray’s Cycle in Fairfield [laughs]. I spent a lot of money at Ray’s Cycle. I probably kept the lights on for a while around that time. But yeah, from the time I was 10 to about 16 I was deep into downhill mountain bike racing. I raced all around California: Big Bear, Mammoth, Squaw Valley. It costs so much money to do, so that didn’t work in the long run, so I cut that out and really started getting into battling. It went from bikes to battling, just like that.

What did you take from your time with the Federation?
That experience did affect how I conduct my business some. You can’t wait on anybody or anything, so now I’m back on a do everything yourself mentality.

Did you ever think about stopping?
Oh hell no! I was down in L.A. at the time, and I was still getting into the studio and writing hooks. I was just recording, not really thinking about my own project, but when I came back up to Northern California that all changed. My boy Kyle had a studio in his house so I started recording every day and focusing on me. But no way, I never thought about giving up, that is not in me.

I think one of the things that attracts people to 1st Place is the honesty, like nothing is glossed up and you take on this very normal dude approach to the songs.
Yeah, and sometimes it might be too honest. It’s very straight to the point. I actually don’t like to play my music for chicks I’m messing with; it makes them ask questions [laughs]. And you know, sometimes I say some stuff, and people think it’s funny, but I’m being serious. Like people think “Being Broke Sucks” is funny, but I’m dead serious with that song. It might seem funny because of how I say things, but I’m speaking from a real place. I’m not trying to be like Weird Al or anything, and just say something stupid to get a laugh. And with that, I don’t have a Rolls Royce or nine chains. That’s cool if you have that, but the average American doesn’t live like that. I’m trying to connect to the people who can relate to that.

With 1st Place you’ve also seemed to simplify things, what was the thinking behind that?
I stopped worrying about rap stuff. I know I can rap. I’m not the best rapper in the world, and I’m totally OK with that. The less I worry about trying to be the dopest rapper, the more people like it. I care about the art, but I stopped caring what grown dudes think. Like I don’t want dudes to tell me how dope I am anymore. I would rather have girls say they had fun. It’s cool for dudes to love my music, but I just don’t want dudes in the corner getting all hung up on what I said.

Just following you on social media you have really taken to a healthy lifestyle, and have even stopped drinking. Has this affected your music at all?
Well I still write about a lot of the same things; girls, drinking and drinking with girls, because I have done so much of that, but performing is way different sober. You can see clear, and when everybody is staring at you it’s more a little scarier than when you are drunk out of your mind.

Rocking with a full band you can catch 1st Place at Blue Lamp on April 19 alongside Gurp City’s own Z-Man. The show starts at 8 p.m., and the cover charge will be $10. For more information, go to Bluelampsacramento.com.

Equipto may be calling it quits on a solo career, but he has a busy future ahead

A wise man once told me never to use the word “unique” when describing music or a musician, because surely there was something similar. He is right to an extent, but I can say with much confidence there is no equivalent to Equipto. Born and raised in San Francisco to a Japanese mother and Colombian father, Equipto started rapping in the early ‘90s, first making his mark in 1995 with his group Bored Stiff. A champion of the underground, his career has spanned nearly two decades including nine solo albums, five group albums with Bored Stiff, four as a duo with Andre Nickatina, two with Mike Marshall and a handful of other one off collaborative albums. The quantity of the releases was always matched with quality, and the scope of subjects was just as vast.

From the beginning it was clear Equipto had something to say. He spoke with maturity and rhymed with integrity, aware of the impact of his words and what he was bringing to the culture. Citing inspiration from Gil Scott-Heron and RBL Posse, Equipto’s music has always been a perfect blend of socially aware and street. Perhaps his most distinguishing trait is his honesty. In a genre masked in fantasy, Equipto never hid who he was or what he stood for, speaking on his strengths and citing his short comings alike, basically admitting to being human. Listeners identified with his words, and to sum up a career in a sentence, allowing him to thrive as a world recognized independent artist for nearly two decades.

In late 2011 he released his most comprehensive solo album to date, Illych (his name by birth), and about a year later, he announced he was going to retire. Rappers typically don’t retire, but again, Equipto isn’t the typical rapper. His upcoming Stress Free tour with Z-Man, Lucky I Am, Otayo Dub, Mike Marshall and L’Roneous will be his last. Selfishly, this is hard to accept, but as he detailed in our conversation below, this is a life decision, and one that will not completely relinquish him into obscurity in the rap world.

A few months back you announced your retirement. What prompted this decision?
When you’re trying to do music and reach release dates and hit the road like 50 percent of the year, you miss out on a lot. Everybody is different in their own way, but for me, I want to be a part of helping my niece and nephew read, pick them up from school and stuff like that. My momma is getting older, so I want to enjoy time with her. I want to get my label, Solidarity, in good position, and get my studio right too. Things like that are what I want to focus on.

I can’t imagine you not making music, so how are you defining this retirement?
It’s from performing, and more or less solo projects. If Bored Stiff wanted to do something, it’s not like I’d say, “No.” I want to be more of a project coordinator now. I want to be behind the scenes. I want to help young artists live out their dreams and do things that people didn’t do for us. In order for that to happen, I need to take the backseat as an artist. I’m not trying to be a manager but more of a motivator. It’s like the corny shit people say like, “Stop and smell the flowers.” I need to do that and enjoy things. Basically, I will be taking a step back. I have so much material though so it’s not even going to be like a retirement, I’m just not going to be out pushing it.

You’re such a staple in San Francisco. Do you think it will be hard going forward to separate yourself from Equipto the MC?
I accept who I am and who I became. The city means so much to me. I would never be the person who I am, and the opportunities I was given to be who Equipto is. A Japanese/Colombian out of San Francisco…in a lot of places I wouldn’t have been able to survive the way I did, or do the things I’ve done. I owe a lot to the city and my environment. I’ll always accept who I am and what I did. I am Equipto, but that’s who I am on that microphone. Everything is from the heart. It’s not as gratifying if you can’t connect with the people. You want to know who appreciates you at the same time. You don’t want to keep going just to go, like treading water. I want to know who my fans are, who know my lyrics from songs that weren’t heavily released. I can’t get back to them if I’m always pushing.

I get the feeling that this isn’t about falling out of love with music, but more what the game has turned into. Is that fair to say?
The love for the music is always there. If I hear a beat, I’m going to nod my head naturally. I came from a different era and it’s not me being stubborn, but it’s different now like with the whole pay to play to advance your career. I understand why things are, and respect it, but at the same time I can bow out gracefully, and people should respect that. I respect people’s hustles, it’s just not who I am. Bored Stiff and myself, we’ve built our legacy on not giving a fuck. It’s almost defeating the purpose if I keep trying to push and go further and do a song with this guy when I’m not even friends with him, or pay to get on a bill. Those kind of moves are mandatory in the game now, like people look down if you keep with your same recipe. It’s tiring, and I don’t want to be a part of it.

With the politics of today, what kept you going?
It came in stages through stages. At times it was like I was retiring because I was tired of everything, but I reached a point where I am content and proud of the work I’ve done. I’ve played my part, whether I was an inspiration or whatever. I feel like our generation planted a good seed in hip-hop. Everyone looks at the Golden Era of hip-hop, but years down the line, I think this era will be looked at as special like that. The underground is strong, there is a lot of dope music out there, you’ve just got to search. Just like how we love Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, but there were cats on the under too, and you wonder how they weren’t millionaires like Marvin Gaye, but those are the underground cats. The music that I’m involved with, and the people I’m involved with, we are going to be those rare finds, those gems for youngsters to find. I take pride in being a part of that.

See Equipto when his Stress Free tour hits Blue Lamp in Sacramento on March 14, 2013. The show gets underway at 9 p.m. and tickets start at $8. For more info, go to Bluelamp.com.

At 25 years young, Wiz Khalifa couldn’t be in a better position. After breaking into the music industry some five years ago, he has endured and persevered, earning his place among rap’s superstars. A product of Pittsburgh, Penn., a city not known for contributions to the hip-hop landscape, he made a name for himself through mixtapes, eventually inking an ill-fated deal with Warner Brothers Records. What would be a knockout blow for most was a lesson for Wiz, giving him the insight and experience to thrive as an artist and a businessman. Never slowing down for a second, he steadily released free music and toured non-stop, catching the ears of the masses with his 2010 release Kush and Orange Juice. From there he landed a deal with Atlantic, and on the strength of his single “Black and Yellow,” off his official debut Rolling Papers, Wiz Khalifa became a household name.

For a well-publicized stoner, Wiz (born Cameron Thomaz) is a focused and determined individual. Perhaps even more, he is very self-aware and in control. He has built a team of artists and producers around him, and instead of trying to keep up with the rest of the pack, he is paving his own lane. That statement is confirmed on the cover art for his soon-to-be released sophomore release O.N.I.F.C., which finds Wiz shirtless, exposing his tattoo covered body, draped in what looks to be a snow leopard fur coat and white leather pants with red trim. He is the rock star rapper, unapologetically eccentric, operating in a world of his own. Fans love him for this, so that is what he gives them.

When you were growing up, who were your favorite rappers, and with that, who did you mold yourself after?
When I was young it was Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and then in my early teens I really got into Wu-Tang and more classic hip-hop. Then, when I was like 16, that’s when I got into Dipset. There were a bunch of rappers, but I was also into rappers movements. Cam’ron and all those guys, I just really liked their whole movement. I always loved Snoop, he never changed in my eyes. But yeah, out of all those, Cam’ron was my biggest idol. I still freak out when I see him.

And I see you got him on your new album.
Yup, and I’m still freaking out.

I really respect the fact that you don’t load up your albums with features and keep it simple with one or two.
Yeah, I try to keep it organic. These are people that I really have relationships with. I speak to Too $hort [featured on Rolling Papers] everyday, hit him with a text or whatever. We’re all friends outside of rap.

With all the success you’ve earned over the past couple years, how much of it was planned?
Well, I’ve always wanted to be a guy that was known not only for making music, but also for having the best brand. I always wanted to be known for being more than a musician. I’m not necessarily trying do what everybody else has done, but do what I do best. I think through that I’ve been able to capitalize and make some good moves. I took the long road, took the time to go through and work out all the details, that’s what put us in the best position.

You had made a name for yourself prior, but I feel with Kush and Orange Juice things really took off and you established a sound and style. During that time, what was it that made things start clicking?
I just met a couple people who were more like me, like Curren$y. It made me really confident in that lifestyle and the things that we believed in. Stuff we were doing, people didn’t get to see because it wasn’t on that stage, but we were doing shit that people were rapping about or saying they were doing but weren’t. We were really doing it. It was an everyday type of thing, just that confidence and being knowledgeable about how things work. Like I said, I take the long route. I might have been talking about some of the things on Kush and Orange Juice two mixtapes before that, but I didn’t know as much about them by the time I got to that point. I had been on way more planes, drank all different kinds of bottles of champagne, stayed in all kinds of hotels. All that added up and stuck.

What struck me was the beat selection and how cohesive it was. It’s like you found your formula, and after that, it all come together.
I think the cohesiveness that you’re talking about came from me just being out on tour just thuggin’ it out, working on the road. All we had were some computers, some weed and different hotel rooms. We were having fun, and every night was an adventure, and in the morning, we needed a soundtrack and that’s what Kush and Orange Juice was.

After Rolling Papers, your first official major label release, you wrote a letter to your fans more or less apologizing, saying it wasn’t up to your standards. I can’t recall an artist ever doing something like that. When did you realize the album wasn’t your best work, and what did admitting your mistakes do for your creatively?
Well…I’d say it was the process. Not necessarily the songs, but I’m used to living with a project much more, going to bed and waking up with an album. With Rolling Papers I didn’t have that attachment to it, so I didn’t get to sell it to people, like, make their brains understand why they should fuck with it as much as I fuck with it. That’s my fault, that’s where I fell short. Admitting that, and moving on from that, put me where I am now. With O.N.I.F.C. I’ve been putting it into people’s brains since I came up with the title. I sold the whole idea to my label: explained the artwork and the whole vibe around it and what I want the project to be about. To me, it’s about expressing personal freedom and just being your own inner self. You wouldn’t understand it if you get it in bits and pieces, but when it comes as a package, that’s when it all makes sense.

Having that first album out of the way, I imagine you were in a better position to dictate these ideas?
Yeah, but it was more not being afraid to take the proper time and speak up for what I believe in. There are times when you’ll have a room full of people saying they’re going to do this and do that, and it’s easy to just be like, “Yeah, yeah, let’s do that.” This time around I was more like, I want to do this on this day, and I want it to look like this and present it this way. It’s paying attention to the small details and triple checking everything to make sure it’s all the way how I would do it. Not just how I’d do it, or how they’d do it, but how we’d do it. It’s how we’re going to do this collectively and connect everyone on both ends.

To wrap things up, in your opinion is it harder to obtain success or keep it?
I think it’s equal, man. When you get success there are a lot of things that look like they might be good for you, but you have to be able to say no. Saying no is the hardest part, that’s the challenge, just fighting that temptation to do typical bullshit. When you learn how to remove yourself from situations, and how to be bigger and better, that’s when you really learn how to really hold on to success.

Comedian Doug Stanhope never abided by the rules, and we wouldn’t have it any other way

In one word, Doug Stanhope is polarizing. If you are a fan of his work, you probably think he is a comedic genius, unparalleled by any other active in his craft. Should you fall on the other side of the spectrum you probably think he is a vile, drunken psychotic who should be jailed for abuse of the First Amendment. It’s not a conscious effort on his part to be a polarizing comedian, though, and while ultimately he is an entertainer, he is not an actor playing a role. His ingenuity, love it or hate it, is in his sincerity. He flaunts his flaws and mocks his shortcomings, and though his views of the world may come off as bleak, they are not shortsighted shock value statements. His approach is unfiltered tact; nothing is off limits, and if you are offended, you probably shouldn’t have been listening in the first place.

With more than two decades of stand-up experience, 11 live albums and a resume that spans the BBC and The Man Show, Stanhope is no slouch. He exists within his own lane, and with a DIY approach to his profession has established himself as an undisputed comedic heavyweight. On the stage is where he thrives, and from Feb. 23 through 25, he will be headlining the Punch Line, testing out new material before he heads overseas for a tour of the United Kingdom. In anticipation of the gig, the following conversation conveniently took place immediately following the State of the Union address.

So when you watch something like the State of the Union address are you solely as a comedian, or is there a part of you that is watching as a citizen?
Completely as a comic, especially on Twitter. It was funny to watch my brain work actually. This live tweeting thing was new to me, though. It was like open heckling. To keep up with what he’s saying, and type as clumsily as I type, and then to read what others are saying so I don’t copy them, I just felt like, “Oh shit, I’m taking too long.” It was like playing bingo with too many cards, and I hate that I know what that reference means.

Do you think you could do your stage show with a John Boehner type of figure behind you?
There is always a John Boehner type behind me, and it’s the negative version of me judging all of my jokes saying, “You’ve said that before! Everyone is bored with you!” And there is a Joe Biden on the other side, the angel on my shoulder saying, “Just take the check.”

Do you ever hit dry spells or do you find that the political climate and endless stream of social bullshit provides you with enough material to never run out?
Oh yeah, I’ve been in a dry spell for years. The things that I’m passionate about start drying out, that’s simple mathematics. The longer I do comedy I start running out of ways to talk about things. Like over-population, I don’t know how to find a new angle on that, but it’s something that really bothers me. I’ve found ways in other stuff, but I can’t keep saying the same shit again and again. Over 20 years, I don’t want to fake being angry about things I’m not passionate about, #BillMaher.

One of my favorite lines of the speech was, “America is back and anyone who says otherwise doesn’t know what they are talking about.” Would you like to elaborate on that?
Yeah, I mean, it’s the exact same America I’ve always lived in. I’m 45 now, and it’s all the same shit every year. Every year we need to change something or stop something, and then I realize that none of this will affect my life. Nothing that any president has done or talked about doing has affected my daily life. Taxes, yeah maybe I have $20 more, or $20 less in my bank account at the end of the year, but it doesn’t affect me day to day. I’m sure it does some people, but they play by the rules, which I never did. I don’t mean like, “Oh, I play outside the lines, the rebel,” I just live a weird life.

Have you always been like that?
Yeah, I quit school when I was 16, but I had to live at home until I was 18 by law. As soon as I turned 18 I jumped on a train with $400 and went to Los Angeles to be an actor. That lasted four months, moved to Florida for four months. I did fraud telemarketing and just fucked off until I started comedy when I was 23.

What inspired you to blaze your own path like that?
I have no idea. I was always a weird kid. I was very similar to what I am now, which doesn’t really fit for a kid. I had a really dark sense of humor. I still have a framed letter from my school psychologist on my wall, hold on a second, let me read it. The second paragraph reads, “I very strongly believe that Douglas is in need of professional help. As you know he is extremely negative about getting help.” I was just being funny, drawing fucked up doodles. You know how you would trace your hand? Well I would trace my hand, but move three of the fingers over to the side like they just got chopped off and then make pools of blood around them. I thought it was cool. They thought I was a psychotic.

I love that you had the foresight to hold onto that letter.
Yeah, definitely. When I first got into comedy I had no press pack so I would put this letter in there and highlight the sentence I just read.

So were you the funny guy then?
No, people thought I was creepy. A couple people thought I was funny but most were creeped out by me. So I guess with that, I have the same ratio of fan base I have now. I had a cult following in school, but I was generally observed as way too dark for the room.

You have very strong beliefs and opinions. Do you want people to share all of your beliefs?
Yes, I do. Or I want to share theirs. I just see things a certain way, and I wish that was normal. I don’t like feeling different all the time. I’m not the goth kid who is dyeing my hair and putting on temporary tattoos to stand out. I want to be normal. I want to be able to put on my iPod at a party and have more than three songs play before someone goes, “What the fuck is this!?” I want to fit in and have more friends.

I feel like when people describe your work they only highlight the debaucherous side, but no one ever mentions that you are really smart, which I think is a huge discredit to what you do.
Unless you disagree with me, then I’m just a drunken idiot. That’s one thing that really bothers me, because I do think people who disagree with me will always blame it on alcohol as if I would have completely different opinions if I didn’t have a cocktail at 7:30 p.m. Christopher Hitchens was the only guy I know smart enough to overcome the [drunken idiot image]. He was one of the guys I wanted to get drunk with before I died. Him and Bill Murray. Hunter S. Thompson was fantastic, but you would never want to be him to be that brilliant, and I think the same goes for Charles Bukowski. They aren’t people you want to emulate, because you know their lives were miserable. I would rather put out shitty art and have a nice life.

Your comedy is pretty boundless. Generally speaking, do you give a fuck?
Well, I’ve become angrier which is the antithesis to not giving a fuck, but it’s usually pointless rage. Patrick Cox of Taxmasters, every time I see that commercial with his fat bullfrog throat, I get angry. I call them and accuse him of looking weird at my kid through the TV all the time. I get angry at really stupid things, and I know they are stupid, but it’s actual rage. I get more scared of people and things too. Generally, I give a fuck in a desperate and helpless way. I want things to be different, and there is no way to do it, and that makes me angry. I’ve given up hope. I don’t know if I don’t give a fuck, but I’ve given up hope.

Doug Stanhope will play five shows in three days at Punch Line Comedy Club in Sacramento beginning Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. Shows will start at 8 p.m. (all three days) with 10 p.m. shows on Friday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, Feb. 25. Tickets range from $18.50—$23.50. You can purchase them through Punchlinesac.com or Livenation.com.

Roach Gigz, Poised to Go Far

Roach Gigz makes you press rewind. He says stuff so ill and out there like, “So I was picking the vegetables out of my Cup O Noodles/Feeling like a pit you fucking poodle,” on a regular basis; you hear something new with each listen. Rhymes aside, he knows how to write catchy songs and construct them properly. He’s got all the tools and the formula for success in his possession; it’s just a matter of time before it comes together. The crazy part is, he’s 21. Needless to say, the future is bright for the San Francisco rhymer.

While there have a been a handful of releases over the past couple of years, the most notable are his two-part Roachy Balboa mixtape series, both released within the last year. Off the two projects, he has gone from being a local talent to generating a national buzz, with outlets like MTV taking heed of his skills. For fans of Bay Area rap this may sound like a familiar story: infinite potential and promise, being dubbed the one who’s going to make it, ending in eventual obscurity when the stage gets bigger. No promises can be made, but damn, it feels different when talking about Roach Gigz. His strengths are rooted in his individuality, but on the flip, it’s not what he relies upon. It’s his versatility and adaptability that will take him to the next level.

His ultimate fate awaits, but in the meantime he will be making a stop at the Colonial Theater on April 22 alongside J Stalin. The same energy you hear on record is only multiplied live, and that is a guarantee.

What’s happening man? How you doing?
I’m chillin’, just listening to some beats trying to figure out what I’m going to do. I’m working on finishing up this EP, and just recording a couple more songs for it.

How’s it shaping up right now?
It’s good. I hella like it. I don’t want to put out any average shit, it’s all got to be the stuff I like the best. I never know what anyone else is going to like. It’s funny because they like the ones you don’t really like that much, and that’s when it gets complicated.

On that note, my favorite song is “Pop Off.” Where does that one stand with you?
“Pop Off” is one of my favorite songs that I ever made. I love that song. I put that beat on and was like, ‘Whoa, this shit is crazy!’” I remember just listening to it over and over. And see, the video came later. The song wasn’t about Oscar Grant [an unarmed civilian shot dead by a BART officer in Oakland] when I laid the song. I don’t think I wrote that one down actually, it just flowed right.

Are you more of a writer or do a lot of your songs come from freestyles?
I do both. Really it just depends on the situation. I do write, but when I’m recording by myself I usually just think out a part and memorize it, and then put it down. Then think about the next part, put it down and piece it together like that.

Do you find yourself getting looser when you record by yourself?
I can get loose anywhere, but it is more of a freedom to take your time. You don’t have to worry about other people’s schedules, or who’s coming into the studio next. I do like to record by myself a lot, though. It’s cheaper, and it’s on my own time.

Things are picking up for you, and it feels like you’re on the brink of something bigger. How are you personally and artistically dealing with that and the changes it’s bringing?
It’s crazy because it’s what I’ve worked so hard for. To start to get there is like, ‘Awwww shit.’ But I mean, as far the music, I’m just pushing on, making more music and not slowing down. Personally, I don’t know, not much has changed. I mean, I know the deal. I have to deal with the stuff of having my own family, and also living this life and things come up. And you know, that is hard. It doesn’t feel like it came out of the blue though. I’ve been working hard for this. I’ve been prepared for what’s coming my way. I’m just working hard and am happy and humbled that things have gotten this far, and I just hope that they keep going.

Have you been getting label interest and going to meetings?
I don’t know if I’m supposed to talk about it, but they know who I am.

Without saying names, what have the meetings been like? Any funny label stuff?
It’s been pretty relaxed, and all I’ve heard are positive things. But I’m not even thinking about that at this point. I feel like I could make things much bigger down the road just doing what I’m doing now before I make that next big step.

Do you feel being a Bay Area dude, just being laced with that independent mindset, that it prepares you better for those situations?
I always say it’s inbred in Bay Area music, we don’t need anyone else to make it work, but at the same time that can slow us up. People get stuck just trying to do things by themselves, and not take that next step. I’m trying to do that. The Bay Area scene has made me be able to do what I’m doing now. You see how the ones before you did it. I’m just going a new route, as far as Internet and all that, instead of selling it out the trunk.

You embody the Bay Area sound and energy, but it’s also not confined to that. It’s like your content is broad but you spit it like a Bay cat. Is that a conscious move?
It’s not really conscious. The delivery, I don’t have much control over that. It just comes out of me like that. I don’t think, “OK, I’m going to make a song for the ladies so I got to change my voice or rap like this.” Content-wise, I want to reach as many as possible, but I’m not thinking that way. It’s just whatever shit is on my mind. That’s why it’s random at times–that was just where my mind was going at the time.

You’re not a political rapper, but you do definitely sprinkle some things in. Do you see yourself delving into that a little more?
Political things come up when I feel personally pressured into something. It’s more important than anything else I’m talking about, but at the same time I’m not a political rapper, or trying to be one. I’m not going to give you a history lesson, but yeah, I want to speak my opinion and let you know how I feel about something. So yeah, I’m not going to be Talib Kweli, but I won’t ever stop saying how I feel.

Soul singer/songwriter Bilal comes back with a vengeance after a lengthy absence

Born in Philadelphia in 1979, Bilal Oliver was immersed in music at a young age. As if through osmosis, he absorbed the energy of the jazz and soul greats that paved the roads he roamed, studying the sounds and applying them as he saw fit. Educated in the arts, he nurtured his dream into a reality and by the time he was 21 already had heavyweights like Dr. Dre and Raphael Saadiq in his corner. His debut released in 2002 was met with resounding praise, but fate took a turn when his followup Love for Sale was leaked, then shelved, eventually resulting in Bilal parting ways with what he had worked so hard for.

The sudden left in his life may have been the right move, as almost a decade after his debut he has pieced together his most creative and liberating piece of work. Airtight’s Revenge (a mark of triumph over the leak) finds Bilal playing the role of the alchemist; blending genres, cross-pollinating sounds and burrowing his way into his own niche. The only constant is the signature voice, and the conviction from which it comes. Read on, and bare witness Oct. 24, 2010 at Dream Nightclub.

I understand early on you learned to recreate Miles Davis and other jazz cats’ songs with your voice. Was that something that you just took to, or did someone hip you to that?
My friends in high school were jazz musicians, and we would always scat all the tunes, that’s just how we would do it. It intrigued me, and then I realized all the great jazz musicians like Dizzy Gilisepe and Satchmo did it, so I followed that.

Hip-hop at this time was getting really big in the United States. Did you ever go through a rapping phase or did you always stick to singing?
I went through a little of a rapping phase. My name was… It was a while ago, but it wasn’t anything serious.

Did I hear you start to say you had MC name?
Yeah, I wasn’t going to disclose that [laughs]… I changed my mind. MC Think [laughs].

From being a kid to teenager, you were signed when you were 19. How have your goals changed since then?
Well, I always knew I wanted to have a band and make music. That’s always been my dream since high school, and it’s all come to fruition. This is my career. I’m making a living off of doing this, so I think I’m living that.

It has to be different musically now on this go-around.
When I was signed to a bigger label, the whole catalyst was to make this one big single that would blow up. I used to say, “Man, I wish I could just make music and not really focus on making that one single.” After a while your whole album starts to sound like that “one big single.” Now, I’m in a situation where they allow me to just make music. I’m able to do a lot more. I went back to the singer/songwriter thing I was starting to do on Love for Sale. I played keyboard on all but two songs, and I wrote them all from piano, so I got to play a lot more.

I heard an interview where you were talking about how you took two years off from music after the Love for Sale situation. You were talking about how you were hanging out with a painter, and how he referred to himself as a musician so that he wouldn’t have the pressure of being a great painter, and how you then in jest called yourself a painter on the flip. Is there a painter you find parallels with as a musician?
I would say someone in the angle of Salvador Dali. He was very skilled, but he mixed everything up and stretched it out and mutated to an obscene level to where it was something new. He knew how to draw appropriately, but he painted so inappropriately. He made his own way. He had the technique to do whatever he wanted to do, and he was just out there.

Yeah, being out there artistically speaking, can be difficult in the major label world. I assume you had people trying to change what you were doing?
Yeah. I went through that. With my last situation, it came up a lot. It was never you have to be like this, but you gotta dumb it down a little bit so people can understand that. I’ve heard that before.

In those words?
Yes [laughs]. “You gotta dumb it down,
people are idiots.”

Without going through that two-year period, do you think you could have made an album like this or was it critical to Airtight’s Revenge?
It was absolutely a critical time. I felt like I was making really contrived shit, so I had to stop and reevaluate things. Whenever I feel like I’m going in circles, I try to find the root of it again. The way you find the root is to dig. I just stopped what I was doing and took a step back from it all for a minute and didn’t really think about it. That was crucial; it was my detox.

I know you worked with Chuck Treece, who was affiliated with Bad Brains. Was his influence something new for you?
Yeah man, Chuck Treece. He really opened me up on this record. Playing with Chuck put me up on a lot. I got into Bad Brains a little in high school, but I got into Ahmir’s [?uestlove of The Roots] collection and found stuff like I Against I and, whoa. After that, I got the whole catalog. I had known Chuck for like 10 years. I met him when I was singing in D’Angelo’s band. When I met him he was playing guitar, but he was also playing drums for a minute with Bad Brains so that just tells you what kind of musician he is. We started jamming out, and shoot, he’s just a monster. But yeah, it taught me how to play with a certain ferocity and simplicity. Simplistic, but I still put my jazz inflections in there. I’m always trying to make the complex simple, in a complex way. Sorta like espresso. Make it a little more potent, but simple at the same time. Like James Brown did with the funk.

And like Dali did with the painting.
Yup [laughs].

RJD2 Doing What He Wants to Do

After releasing his debut, Deadringer, in 2002, it was clear that RJD2 was embarking upon a fruitful career of longevity and innovation. The DJ/producer, and later vocalist, had an undeniable vibe and an eclectic palette of sounds at his disposal. With an understanding of music theory and chord progressions, his instrumentals played out more like a score than the average programmed beats, and while it was natural to lump him into the hip-hop gene pool at first, you knew he would eventually go on and grow into his own.

His preceding solo albums showed a quick evolution. As he began shifting further away from his hip-hop base with Since We Last Spoke and The Third Hand, he had group projects with MCs like Blueprint and later Aceyalone that were catered more toward his core. RJ’s output, whether it was his own albums, lending his production to other projects or through a series of mixtapes, remained consistent and always pushed the creative boundaries he had cast on his last.

Complacency is a word that doesn’t exist in RJ’s vocabulary. He is always recording and creating, always touring, and now that he started his own label to back it up he is always working. It’s a job he enjoys though, and one that he is quite good at.

In support of an upcoming stop at the Crocker Art Museum on Oct. 16, 2010 Submerge reached out to the Oregon-born renaissance man. Excited to bring his four turntable and two sampler setup, he talked about the past and present and what to expect in the near future.

I want to talk about the progression of your career. From your early days with MHz on the underground rap tip, to creating what some dubbed as an “indie rock” album, to your last album The Colossus which was a collage of all kinds of genres, you have shown you can do it all. Was it always the plan to be this all-encompassing artist?
No, I never had any kind of any master plan of this is where I want to be in five or 10 years. I’ve just been kind of looking at what’s immediately in front of me, and behind me too, and sort of responding and reacting to those things. One thing that I feel compelled to mention is you brought up the “indie rock” record. I haven’t been working on that in any master plan, but there have been some constants in my career; some common threads that have ran through almost everything that I’ve done. From the beginning of my career to now the most driving influence in everything I do still is soul and R&B music. It has permeated in every record and decision. It’s not conscious or anything, it’s just how it comes out. I know people refer to The Third Hand as more of an indie rock record, and I assume that is because of the singing, but from my perspective if you look at the production and sound of that record, it’s very much drawn from soul, funk and psychedelic rock influences.

Going off what you just said, and I hope this doesn’t come off offensive, but do you think it was labeled that because you are white?
[Laughs] Well, I’ll put it this way… For one, I don’t take that as offensive. I’ll pose a statement to you: A band like TV on the Radio can make a certain type of record, and for better of for worse they are going to get lumped into the category of “black rock.” I don’t know how they feel about it, but I assume a group like that doesn’t really care for that classification. I don’t know, we could play the game of hypothetically speaking thing all day, but to answer the question, it’s entirely possible [laughs]. One thing I will say to play devil’s advocate, I wouldn’t rule out the opinion of it’s how I sang on that record made it feel more like an indie rock singer than, say, a Curtis Mayfield soul record. And you know, to this day I don’t particularly fancy myself as the most accomplished vocalist. On that record, though, it’s not a bravado-heavy style of singing, it’s harmony-dependent. Singing-wise, I can see how people would say it was an indie rock style of vocalization, but to me there is so much more that goes into all music than just who’s singing; it’s the sound of the drums, the production techniques and all that other stuff make up the cumulative effect.

Is it bothersome for someone like yourself who works without boundaries that ultimately it’s the journalists and such who say what each album is? Do you read that stuff and just get a headache?
I learned it doesn’t put me in a healthy place to read reviews of my records. I do everything possible to avoid them actually. Right around the time of The Third Hand is when I learned to disassociate myself from reviews. I vividly remember reading the first two reviews, and they were so wildly disparate it just made me realize it wasn’t making me more effective as a producer, or better yet as a person. The only thing I lament about with the current climate is that it seems we have entered into an arena where the reigns over and the rest follow. It’s funny because I’ve had journalists tell me that other journalists, or magazines and blogs or whatever, wait for the larger source in their field to sort of say what’s good and what’s not, and then everyone else follows suit. As a listener, I don’t think that serves anyone well.

Have you found in the interviews that you do that the level of journalism has dropped?
Yeah, I have found that people are less prepared. A lot of times it seems like I’m answering questions that are straight out of my bio. It doesn’t bother me, but it annoys my publicist the most [laughs]. I’ve gotten used to answering the same questions over and over. But yeah, I have noticed people not doing any research. Again, I’m not reading them, so I don’t see the final product, but the preparation seems to have dropped. There are still a lot of folks writing about stuff that they are interested in, which to me makes the most sense. It seems natural that you would write about the stuff you like opposed to the things you don’t.

OK, fair enough. To switch gears completely, I want to talk about your new label that you created, Electrical Connections, and get your perspective on being an artist/label owner. Was it more work than you expected?
It has been more work than I expected, but not a huge amount. At first it was tough, and I was taking on a lot of things–I reissued three records, put out a box set and released a new album in the course of four months. That period, of what was essentially putting out four records in as many months, was really rough. In hindsight though it’s only about 20 percent more work than what I was used to. I had a small label I was running called Bustown Pride on which I just pressed CDs and sent them straight to the distributors. Honestly, looking at the profit margins and the work that goes into everything, I’m still in awe how any record label can afford to have a staff.

Would you say it was a grueling process with a big reward, a grueling process with little reward, or say a fun process with a great reward?
I would say somewhere between grueling and a tolerable process, with a great reward. The reward for me is ownership of masters, which isn’t always immediately gratifying. It’s basically either going to pay off or not in the future, but I’m still wholeheartedly pleased with the way I’ve gone about it. My biggest concern was that I would put The Colossus out and no one would know anything about it. Love it or hate it, I feel like the visibility is about the same as it has in the past, and that is good enough for me.

With the name Electrical Connections, I have to ask about a video I saw of you where you built a wireless MIDI controller that linked up to your MPC… I gotta say, it was pretty awesome. I know you enjoy building and tweaking your equipment. I wanted to know if you have any other big projects in the works?
[Laughs] Recording-wise yes, I just moved and I set up a new studio space that is much bigger than my previous. The added new space will allow me to have several rooms that are all inter-connected in the house. The ergonomics of doing completely live music, or synth-orientated music, or sample-based music and having each in their own spaces but will all great. It’s all wired into one control room, and I have video and USB feeds going through each room. There are times you don’t want to blend it together, but one of the things I really liked about my last record was having all kinds of themed approaches to recording. I get bored doing the same thing over and over, but I like the idea of doing just sample-based music, but I like to be able to easily blend them. I have a couple records finished that I’m in the process of getting ready to be released. I’m just waiting to get the studio done.

Can you divulge on those?
Yeah, the first one… I’m pretty into horror and sci-fi soundtracks from like the mid-‘70s to like 1984. It’s all instrumental, and sort of an homage to that kind of cinematic approach to scoring music. I also did a record with a group I started with a singer named Aaron Livingston, who is featured on The Colossus. It’s all him singing and me on production, the group is called Ice Bird. Those two will be coming out in the next year for sure, hopefully before that.

And with a little foresight, how will journalists label Ice Bird?
[Laughs] I have no idea. I have proven to be a poor judge of that.

Last one. This interview is in support of your upcoming gig in Sacramento at the Crocker Art Museum. I have a feeling this may be different from a typical club gig you might get on tour, so I’m wondering if or how you change up your set depending on the setting?
I try to stay prepared. In the last year I’ve been using Serato [DJ software], but in the past I had to create dub plates so that I’d have everything for the live show. If I find myself in front of a crowd that doesn’t necessarily know my music, and they just want to hear something else, it’s like an eject button. Depending on the crowd though, I try to keep focused on doing my own thing.

RJD2 will perform as a featured guest at Neo-Crocker 2010: A Modern Culture Party at the Crocker Museum on Oct. 16. The party will run from 8 p.m.—2 a.m. and will also feature performances from DJ Shaun Slaughter, the Sacramento Ballet and much, much more. Tickets are $75 in advance and $90 at the door. For more information, go to www.neocrocker.com.

Boy Meeting World, Making Great Music

At 21 years old, rapper Fashawn has the maturity and foresight of men many moons his elder. The Fresno native grew up fast and, using hip-hop as a tool, persevered as one of the genre’s youngest and most promising talents. With his debut album, the aptly titled Boy Meets World, Fashawn paints a candid picture of life as an adolescent coming into his own, making sense of relationships and the experiences that are transforming him into the artist we hear through our speakers. He writes from an autobiographical point of view, and it shows with his ability to evoke a broad range of human emotions through his stories. As the listener you see his vision, and feel his joy and pain.

Fresh off a tour with Ghostface Killah, Fashawn along with producer Exile is back on the road for the annual How the Grouch Stole Christmas showcase, which features the Living Legend and show founder The Grouch and Oakland’s shining star Mistah FAB. It’s an amazing lineup unmatched by any tour of note this year, so take advantage of everything each artist has to offer and enjoy a good hip-hop show.
 
It’s been a big year for you with your debut dropping, and then The Antidote mixtape with Alchemist. How much of it was planned? And were you surprised by how successful this year was for you?
I would say that most of it wasn’t planned. The stuff with Alchemist, that wasn’t planned at all. That came up from just me hanging with Evidence, and at the time he took me on the Rock the Bells tour. I had the chance to stay at Alchemist’s crib, and from that we started building in the studio and making records. That came out by accident you could say. Just me hanging with Evidence and going to Europe and all that, this time last year I wouldn’t have pictured this. As far as Boy Meets World, we’ve been planning that for a while now. We started recording this album in like early 2008, and we got the label situation around February and we’ve just been going hard ever since.

You mentioned that the album has been planned for a while. Has the Boy Meets World title and concept always been the vision?
Yeah, I said to myself a while ago that if I were to drop an official debut album, that’s how I want to start things off. I think it was a perfect time. I turned 21 the day before my album dropped, and it was just the right time for everything. I had the concept in my head before I even went across the world and saw all these places.

There are points on the album where you talk about how you’ve been rhyming since you were 9.
Yeah, just having fun. I didn’t really start writing rhymes until I was 12. I’ve been in the studio since I was 12 and dropped my first mixtape then.

How did everything you’ve done up to Boy Meets World differ from what you had been doing?
On the mixptapes, it was just me going hard and just spitting the craziest rhymes I could think of. Just trying to find my voice and the direction I want to go. On Boy Meets World, I found my voice. The records on the mixtapes were just me spazzing out, but on the album you hear the concepts and all that. The songs were really produced; you know, Exile really did his thing and made sure everything was precise.

In terms of the music that Exile brought forth, what did he bring out of you? How do you think the direction of the album would have differed if it were a bunch of producers contributing a few beats?
I think if I were to have gotten like Alchemist and 9th Wonder joints on there, the vibe would have been a lot different. With Exile, we have certain chemistry and through the whole record you can feel that. It’s one story, kind of like a score to a movie. I don’t think I could have got that if I worked with a bunch of producers.

This is a very personal album, is there one song that you feel represents you best and why?
I would say “Boy Meets World,” which is like the 10-minute opus at the very end of the album. It’s really just explaining my story from day one to now, from being a young kid with dreams of rhyming to actually growing up and being a man and realizing those dreams. All the experiences I’ve had”¦ “Boy Meets World,” that sums me up right there.

Does all this seem surreal to you at this point? Or in your eyes is this reward for all your hard work?
Nah, it’s very surreal. I’m very lucky to have a great team around me that works really hard. I have a strong work ethic, but it’s a blessing to have the feedback we’re having. You can’t plan that feedback; that’s just something that falls into your lap.

Can you talk about some of pressures that come with the acclaim?
I guess just people calling your album a classic and asking for a second—that’s the only pressure. I don’t know; I’m just enjoying what I’m doing. I love going out every night and doing shows, and promoting my ideas and my music. I heard Lil Wayne say, “What’s life without pressure? Pressure can either make a diamond or shatter things to sand.” I feel like a diamond right now.

When you’re writing for the next album, do the accolades and people calling your debut a classic affect you or motivate you?
I’m already going in different direction creatively. I don’t know, I don’t think it affects me. I think I established myself and who I am with Boy Meets World, just bringing the audience into my life. By doing that with my first album, I feel like I can take my audience wherever I like from the club to the library.

One of my favorite songs on the album is “When She Calls.” The storytelling on that one is crazy, I was wondering if it is rooted in someone you know or is any of it autobiographical?
It’s not autobiographical. When you listen to it, you hear the story through the guy’s eyes, and the second verse is watching the story unfold through someone else’s eyes. And the third verse is what if it never happened. The story was inspired by a friend of mine who killed himself over a girl who didn’t even”¦ I just wanted to show how intense love can be. It was one of the hardest songs to write for the album, actually it was the last song I wrote and recorded. It was a story that people could relate to. It’s a dark subject, but these things happen all the time so I felt the need to talk about it.

To wrap it up, what’s next for Fashawn?
I’m working with a new mixtape with Green Lantern, which should be out soon. I’m constantly in the studio, always working.

Fashawn played the Empire Events Center on Dec. 12 as part of the How the Grouch Stole Christmas tour with The Grouch, Mistan FAB and Exile.