Artist Of The Week – Change

Looking at the scruffy, long haired man wearing Christmas lights you see in the picture above may not give you visions of KRS-ONE and Kool G Rap, but don’t let Change’s image fool you, he is a skilled emcee. Initially I was introduced to Change, a San Diego native, through my good friend DJ Halo, who happened to perform a few dates with him while on tour in 2007. Last month saw the release of Change's first solo effort, Hate to Love You Legacy, which he’s giving away as a free download at modernorganic.org. With his new album available to everyone, I caught up with Change this week to find out more about who he is, what the Hip-Hop scene is like in his city, and why he feels falling in love 36 times a year is a good thing.

Adam Bernard: Start me off with some background info. What’s your personal history read like?
Change: I was born in a small hippie town called Ocean Beach, which is located in San Diego, to a pair of individuals who weren’t so much individual. My parents aren’t really, how should I say… musically oriented. My mother enjoys bad Christmas songs and Celine Dion and my father used to like music until he became 40 and now only listens to talk radio. Due to this, and being sheltered as a small child, coupled with the fact we were constantly moving due to my fathers job, I didn’t really know what music was until I was like 12. I actually didn’t hear my first rap song until I was in seventh grade when I heard “Rappers Delight” on the radio and it was like somebody shoved a pizzle full of crack in my mouth... instant addiction. It wasn’t until about four years ago that I discovered the indie/underground scene, up until that point I only heard what was on the radio and was brainwashed into identifying with false idols. The radio is like cigarettes for the ears man, I swear.

Adam Bernard: I know with a name like Change this question has to come up a lot, so tell me, what kind of Changes are you looking to make and are they in Hip-Hop or the world overall?
Change: I don’t think that I am necessarily really looking to make a Change at all, and I feel this way because you can’t Change people, especially those who do not want to be changed, all you can really do is make good examples and give people something to relate to. On the other hand, if I had the hand of God I would definitely jack myself off and cover all the greedy, untalented, synthesized people in the music industry with semen and tell them in that deep omnipotent voice… “that was for your ghost writer.” Really though, I do want to show people that it’s okay to be yourself, because if you can’t be yourself while creating and performing art, is it really art?

Adam Bernard: In your spot on the map are there a lot of people with similar feelings or are you sectioned off with a smaller group of folks?
Change: Here is San Diego in a nutshell; San Diego has a black cloud hanging over its head as far as Hip-Hop goes, always has and probably always will. People are scared to fall. Everybody here is looking for a “put me on,” instead of an “I’ll put myself on.” People don’t want to take the risk if failure is an option. Because of this people get tired of doing the same shit every week, which is nothing, and eventually take up drugs, children, jobs, and other non Hip-Hop related stuff full time instead of the music they used to love talking about making. I’m sure it’s the same in a lot of other cities, with these weekend rappers, but here in San Diego I swear its 95% weekend rappers, 5% real artists. Every week there are more and more of these bullshit cats finding their way on stage and I swear half of these people have never touched a mic in their entire lives. It’s really sad, but this brings me to something that I am really excited about, Giant Squid Records. Giant Squid Records is a label that I have the honor and privilege of being a part of and I can’t be happier about. I really feel like with Giant Squid we have some of the best artists that San Diego has ever had. Our lineup includes Artoo, Generik, Tactik, Elum, Anek, Gordon Krum, Sobb Stigma and DJ Mime. I have had the chance to tour several times with a lot of these guys and they are so dope. I jumped on the opportunity to join with these guys and I don’t want to let too many secrets out of the bag, but we just kicked a rolling ball down a hill.

Adam Bernard: Sounds like big things are on the horizon. Now, we have to talk about the ladies for a minute because on your website you claim to fall in love 36 times a year. That’s three times a month. 1) Isn’t that tiring? 2) Why do you feel you fall in love so quickly and how does being so close to that emotion affect your rhymes and performances?
Change: I recently discussed this with a new friend of mine over some delicious Tai food and it goes like this… got two feet to match that pretty face? Got a good head on your shoulders? Life is far too short to not experience as much as you can. I’m not saying go out to the corner and start whoring yourself out, trust me, the pay is not as much as you think, but love is just lovely, that’s why it’s called love. If it wasn’t then it would just be “The Thing.” Does that make sense? The funny part is, all the people that I fall for never really seem to pan out, but it’s when you are not looking for something that it finds you. Maybe that’s what all the emcees in San Diego are doing with their careers. (laughs) It doesn’t necessarily affect my performances, but it definitely affects my writing sometimes. For example, I just put out my first solo album last month called Hate to Love you Legacy and I guess the name kinda reflects its insides.

Adam Bernard: Other than falling in and out of love, what inspires your work?
Change: Out of key folk singers, paperclips and half hearted vegetarians, oh and those people who wear those big ass glasses. Stop trying to hide your face!

Adam Bernard: Finally, your look is less Hip-Hop, more indie rock. Do you enjoy the initial confusion you cause in people due to your style?
Change: You know, I’ve never really thought about this, but I like clothes that fit and don’t cause me to sweat profusely. Hats don’t really fit my ego and I don’t have buckets of cash to spend on some rags that cover your body. If it was up to me, I’d walk around naked fuckin everywhere, but I wouldn’t be like those hippie nudists, all nappy like. I’m real big on shaving, hygiene and smelling nice.

Related Links

MySpace: myspace.com/change1
Website: modernorganic.org