Artist Of The Week - PreZZure

PreZZure is an emcee and producer that I’ve been running into a lot lately, both at concerts and online. Based out of Queens, New York, PreZZure caught my ear thanks to two mind blowing tracks, “Lost My Mind,” which is off of his upcoming album and features a sample from one of my favorite t.A.T.u. songs, “All The Things She Said,” and his beat for the AOK Collective theme, which features a sample from the theme from Sesame Street. In addition to being an emcee and beatsmith, PreZZure is also currently a college student majoring in Commercial Photography and a mentor with the Optimus Academy where he teaches junior high and high school students how to write songs. This week I caught up with PreZZure to find out more about the art of sampling, some of his favorite collaborative experiences, and what’s up with his “Bacon” nickname.

Adam Bernard: Talk to me about the journey that led you to being an emcee and producer.
PreZZure: It started out in September 2006. I would perform like once a month in Brooklyn just working on my stage performance. I was recording at the time with an iBook G4, no mic, just rambling over instrumentals on Garageband. While doing that I self taught myself how to make beats through the program. I didn't even know how to mp3 a track so my best friend Annie helped me out with making a MySpace music page. From there I grew as an artist getting love from online and I started to branch out and do more shows and get featured in showcases and 2008 has been the best year of my life as an artist and just in general. People feel my music and it's exciting to get that response.

Adam Bernard: As a producer you use some really interesting samples. Tell me about some of your favorite finds and how you used them.
PreZZure: I have too many favorites. It's hard to pick. I just made a beat sampling "Double Dragon" for Homeboy Sandman and P.Casso which I hope they use for their upcoming project. My album has a few favorites like "Lost My Mind," where I sampled the famous t.A.T.u. song "All The Things She Said." On "Round The World" I sampled Daft Punk’s "Around The World," which has helped me get more buzz since two recent big singles were Daft Punk samples; Busta Rhymes’ "Touch It" and Kanye West's “Stronger.” I just have a weird vision when I hear a song and I start imagining what it would be like with some drums on it. Then I pick a melody and everything just builds up from there.

Adam Bernard: Is the potential for sampling always in your mind when you hear a song?
PreZZure: Most of the time, but I think it's because of my influences, which include artists like DJ Premier, Just Blaze, RZA, Kanye West and Q-Tip. They flipped some amazing music into Hip-Hop classics. I sit back and listen to samples all the time. I was listening to "Bumpy's Lament" by Soul Mann & The Brothers, which Dr. Dre sampled for "Xxplosive," and I’m like "damn, that's dope." I feel Hip Hop does that, it can take any work from another genre and turn it into Hip-Hop music.

Adam Bernard: You've worked with a lot of great artists. What have been some of your most memorable collaborative experiences?
PreZZure: Working with Final Outlaw. That's my dude! He's helped me out a lot. Without him I wouldn't have been able to make my first album. He's the only feature on the album and when we recorded "A Night In New York," which is my first ever collab on an actual song, we both made the beat; I did the drums, he hooked up the sample and bass line. It was just dope. As far as production-wise my most memorable moment was making a beat for the AOK Collective (Fresh Daily, P.Casso, 8thW1, Homeboy Sandman, Nola Darling) and then seeing them perform the track at the Knitting Factory. Nothing will compare to the feeling I had in the crowd. I watch the footage on YouTube and I get chills like "wow, I really did it." It's like one of them "mama I made it" moments. Between those experiences and rocking at End Of The Weak I've had many great memories and met great artists who share the same love for the music.

Adam Bernard: You also have an album in the works, correct? Give me all the info on that.
PreZZure: Penny 4 My Thoughtz, Dollar 4 My Dreamz. It’s my first album. I have the date set for January 13th, 2009. I've made nearly a dozen mixtapes and none could compare to the process of making an album. I also have the XIII Project where I’m releasing a song a day from January 1st till January 13th. Each day has a theme and I feel people will really enjoy this album for the fact it's honest Hip-Hop, no lies, no gimmicks, just straight up life music. I get very personal, so it'll give people who don't know me a chance to and I feel most can relate to the things I’ve gone through.

Adam Bernard: Describe yourself as an emcee. What do you feel you're bringing to the table?
PreZZure: As an emcee I feel I bring an old school mindstate with a new face, like the Rakim rhyme “I kick a hole in the speaker, pull the plug, then I jet.” {laughs} My mission lyrically is to wreck the set. I feel my personality makes me a dope emcee because I'm very animated which reflects on my wordplay, so I say things that make the listener rewind like "what he say?" which is a lost art in Hip-Hop. Not too many emcees/rappers say anything worth listening to twice.

Adam Bernard: Well, I know you have a lot of people listening to you, including the youth. Tell me about the work you do with kids.
PreZZure: It's very humbling. I work with the Optimus Foundation, a group that I hold responsible for me ever being on stage to begin with. My dude Why G hit me up about mentoring and I was like "aiight cool." It's amazing and weird. I'm like only four or five years older then the students and I'm helping them out with music as well as guidance. I remember being in their shoes like it was yesterday. It really has inspired me.

Adam Bernard: Finally, what's up with the “bacon?”
PreZZure: BaCoN was my nickname since junior high. I broke down into an acronym - Babyfaze Azzazzin Comin Outta New York. When I first started doing performances I was known as Babyfaze Azzazzin. I stopped using it music-wise because I actually don't eat pork or beef anymore so it would be odd to carry that out, but it's my childhood nickname so it'll always be with me.

Related Links

Website: PreZZure.net
MySpace: myspace.com/iPreZZure
Imeem: PreZZure.imeem.com