1) With the name “Morbidly-O-Beats”, it suggest that not only do you have beats, but you have beats for quite a while to live off of should you ever not be able to find new beats and have to survive off your stock. So while it is a brilliant name that works on many levels, being morbidly obese is a problem in the United States. Have you ever considered a cassette for charity, perhaps to fight diabetes?
A: Its crazy you would ask me that because last week i hollered at mjc who i run FBR with and brought the idea up of doing a compilation with proceeds going to charity. I was thinking for disenfranchised youth, homelessness and things of that nature not really tryin to solve americas fat problem. I am a big dude but have recently lost over 100lbs i think that boils down to hard work and determination as with kids who dont really have a chance in this life they could use the help more so then people who cant kick there wack arnolds addiction.
2) You’ve released cassettes with I Had An Accident as well as your own label, Filthy Broke. What was it like to release a cassette with the perhaps lesser known Us Natives, who is sure to soon be a (cassette-based) household name?
A: It was great, Clinton killed it. Great package deals great promo plus he was super cool and very easy to work with. He presented it in a great way and I couldn't be happier we had a chance to work together. They are gonna be a great label. Very good sense of business and love for music they believe in and to me thats what its all about.
3) On the topic of Us Natives, are there any plans for you to create a split cassette with Ill Clinton?
A: You know what.. we havnt spoken about that but we definitely have plans to work together again. I love what he does to so i would be way into that.
4) You have a cassette called “Do the Math, Know the Science” and while my dad is a scientist, I’ve always been a big fan of mathematics. Don’t you find it odd though that science has theories which can be subject to change (i.e. Pluto was a planet still when I was growing up) yet math seemingly stays consistent (2 + 2 = 4, always has always will)?
A: Well thats the whole idea, The math never changes as far as the basics but the science is ever evolving and i feel the same way about hip-hop and music in general. For me its a way to stay im sticking to my roots of what i use to create but i like to think im evolving with how i use certain things. plus its an old hip-hop saying you gotta do the math before you know the science.
5) One of your newest cassettes is on Filthy Broke and is called “Automatic for My People”. Were you a big fan of R.E.M. growing up or did you just enjoy the worldplay? (For the record, I had R.E.M.’s “Automatic for the People” on cassette back when it came out—still do, thank you Columbia House)
A: Its more of a nod to company flow, then REM. i never really fucked with REM. To me the title sounds like some throwback boom bap hip-hop shit and that tape has old school elements mixed with some newer ideas. i was just a fun tape to make got to just get to chopping and breaking down the MPC.
6) Your new cassette on Us Natives is called “Analogue Arsonist” and Webster’s dictionary defines analogue as “something that is similar to something else in design, origin, use, etc.”. Would you say this is the anthem to burn down all preconceived notions of what music should sound like and to whom it should be compared?
A: Yea you hit the nail right on the head. I feel this tape shows a couple different styles and to be honest i didnt give a fuck if hip-hop kids would like it or it the beat scene kids whould like it, i just wanted to make sure i made something for clinton and them that i liked and that they could get behind. A lot of kids stick to a certain formula either they make boom bap shit or those un-quantized sloppy beats with fake record noise in it with little bits of rain forrest sounds it or whatever the fuck, I feel like a lot of people pander and i try not too. I like to think that all three tapes that have been mentioned all sound relatively different from one another and thats the goal for me to always keep it moving.
7) Your music is a style of hip hop that tends not to have the lyrics such as rap, or “instrumental” (I don’t know why I put that in quotes) Do you feel that too many mistake hip hop for being something that has to have the clever rhyming words and can’t be instrumental?
A: I prefer to work with rappers or vocalists but i think hip-hop beats can stand alone most of the time. A good beat can make a decent rapper dope. I personally dont listen to too much instrumental hip-hop.. im so burnt out on that beat scene sound that everyone is rocking thats why i like IHAA and Us. Natives because they are doing that. To be honest I am at a point where its like who cares if its hip-hop or if its this or that, i mean i make music in band that sounds more like indie rock and but has elements of "hip-hop" I grew up on it so i think no matter what i do its rooted in hip-hop but at this point i just want to make music and let everyone else decide what to call it.
8) I grew up listening to hip hop and rap and have a collection of cassettes to show for it. I remember being pulled over while listening to 2Pac and more recently rediscovering a cassette I forgot I had by Paris with a song on it called “Bush Killa”. Do you share a fondness for cassettes and hip hop?
A: Oh yea big time. When i was a kid me and my brother and cousin would make the illest tapes and my earliest memory is him giving me a public enemy tape a cypress hill tape and being blown away because up until then all i really knew of music was marvin gaye, al green, the chi-lites, the stylistics, the isley brothers stuff like that, so i loved the more rugged approach where i could hear the music i loved being flipped hard/
9) Everyone remembers MC Hammer as going bankrupt, but no one remembers that in that VH1 Behind the Music special, he said he was making more money selling cassettes out of the back of his trunk than he ever did on a major label. Do you think that the key to conquering a stale music scene that is seemingly drifting further away from major labels for various could be that simple notion?
A: Oh of course, Master P did the same shit. Back in the day thats how people started to get a rep and move units so by the time they got a deal they had at the very least a local following and hopefully a tour would expand on that.
now a days you dont need a major label its all about DIY and hitting the road with merch because its harder to download a t-shirt then it is an album.I feel the music scene is fucked regardless so you better hit the road play as much as possible and hope people are enjoying.
10) Final thoughts, shout outs, etc. … ???
A: First off thank you for taking the time to conduct this interview. I wanna give a shout out to MJC Filthybroke Reocds, V8 TFD who i am currently in a group with called "Sludge Factorie" we are opening up for Sole and Dj Pain 1 on 9-11 at the empty bottle in Chicago. Big shout out to Us Natives, ILL Clinton, IHAA, Hello LA, BloodMoney, Odd Nosdam, Sole, Ceschi, Zackey Force Funk, N8 Noface, Hit & Run, USMG, SYFFAL, Everyone who supports what we are all doing, anyone trying to push the boundaries of music in whatever genre they claim. Keep doing your thing and if it pops rock and roll, if not fuck it at least you have an outlet for your insanity. PEACE
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