Name: Adam Bernard Home: Fairfield, Connecticut, United States About Me: Entertainment journalist w/ over a decade of experience. Lover of good music, fringe movies, day baseball & chicken shawarma. Nerdy, but awesome. See my complete profile
Even though every artist is online, and usually in a myriad of places, very few actually know how to correctly take advantage of the web’s self-promotional opportunities. In fact, the vast majority of artists go about things entirely the wrong way. Today I’m going to take a look at two of the biggest areas in which artists make mistakes when trying to market themselves online and give some ideas for how they can improve on what they’re doing to make their online promotions significantly more effective.
MySpace Misuse and Facebook Foolery
Your MySpace and Facebook pages are great ways to promote yourself. Randomly putting your stuff on other people’s pages, however, only works to make yourself known as a nuisance. Sadly, far too many artists either don’t understand how to properly utilize social networking sites, or they simply don’t care. Here are some good rules of thumb:
- Don’t post your flyer in someone’s MySpace comment section or on their Facebook “wall” unless they’re on the show’s bill. Other people’s pages are not your personal dumping ground for e-flyers. If you want them to see your flyer just e-mail it to them. The chances that the hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of random people on their friend list will be local enough to go to your show is slim to none and nobody checks random people’s MySpace comment sections to figure out how to spend their Saturday night. Not only are you wasting your time, but if you just send an email instead you’ll have a much easier time influencing that same person to come to the show. People care about not being thought of as a number. Show em they actually matter and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results.
- Don’t post your videos in people’s comment sections or on their “walls” UNLESS you have an already established relationship with the person. I have numerous people who post videos on my MySpace page and I approve all of the ones from the artists I actually know (I try to keep my Facebook page promotion-free). Again, if you don’t know the person just send it in an email. When you send it out, though, don’t just say “this is the new hot shit you gotta hear.” I get half a dozen emails like that a day. The ones I usually check out say something more along the lines of “Hey, Adam, this is my latest video. I’d love it if you checked it out and let me know what you think.” By personalizing the email and asking for feedback you’re creating a relationship with the person and if they like your music you’re creating a fan.
- Don’t post your audio player in people’s MySpace comment sections. It screws up the page’s loading time and it tries to run your music at the same time said person’s music is also trying to run, causing an audible clusterfuck that sounds good to no one. The first reaction a person has when they hear this isn’t “damn, who’s that artist, I need to know more,” it’s “who messed up my page? I can’t wait to delete them.”
Spamming for Fans
Misuse of email lists and a misunderstanding of email marketing permeates the music world in a truly amazing way. I’d say maybe 10% of artists know what they’re doing when it comes to their email presence. Yes, you need an email list, but don’t go spamming for fans. Every day I see someone has added me to their ReverbNation or FanReach list and every day I unsubscribe from them. Artists need to realize that just randomly adding everyone in their address book to their email list is actually counterproductive to their goals. By sending email blasts to people who may only just barely know of you, aren’t familiar with your music, and haven’t seen you live, you’re only working to make them remember your name for all the wrong reasons (“oh, that’s that artist that spams everyone.”). Just let your email list grow naturally and you’ll be fine because that way you’ll know everyone on your list wants to know more about you.
Oh and once you have your list don’t go crazy with the emails. Nothing’s worse than seeing three new emails a day from an artist who has nothing of any real importance to say. Got a new video up? Great, send it! Got a show coming up in a week? Great, send the flyer. If you have nothing coming up hitting people every couple of weeks will do just fine.
Now go out and promote yourself and make your name and your work known for all the right reasons.
Our nation’s 44th president may have just taken office this week, but according to Charlie Murphy he’s already fair game for comedians. “Why would he be off limits,” the funnyman queries, “I got Obama jokes and I think everybody’s got a little Obama joke right now.” The legendary comedian and actor continued, noting “obviously Obama’s not gonna be the kind of guy you can make the type of jokes you made about Bush, you ain’t gonna be able to claim he’s stupid or anything like that, but as time unfolds and as incidents take place the way he handles them is gonna create fodder.” Fodder for folks like Murphy, who feel when it comes to comedy, “nothing should be off limits.”
Murphy’s no limits, no holds barred, style of comedy has been helping him build an audience since his days as Gusto in CB4, but every once in a while an audience member feels he goes too far. His response to that extremely small population of folks - too bad. “I was in Utah,” he remembers, “and I was on stage doing standup and there was a woman in the audience who said hey, hey, hey, hey, this is Utah, you can’t talk like that! And I said, I’m a comedian and we’re in a comedy club, we’re not in church, bitch.” The audience cracked up, proving they were entirely on Murphy’s side. “I don’t have to worry about who’s offended,” he explains, “because for every one person that’s offended there’s 100 that love it. For every one person that’s trippin, saying I can’t believe he said that, there’s 100 going wow, I’m glad he said that.”
People’s ability to both handle and enjoy a harsher, more real, style of humor is, according to Murphy, a direct result of cable television. Murphy knows a thing or two about cable TV after his time on Chappelle’s Show and he sees plenty of advantages to the medium. Unfortunately, he hasn’t seen anyone step up to be that real voice since Chappelle’s Show left the air. “The only person who really got a chance to try to fill the void in the cable world was Carlos Mencia and he didn’t do it, he didn’t pull it off.”
Even with no one currently on cable being able to fill the void that Chappelle’s Show left, Murphy says the program created an appetite in people for a rawer brand of comedy, an appetite he plans on satiating online with his latest endeavor, a series of webcasts that will be debuting in March titled Charlie Murphy Crash Comedy. He says the shows will be “sketch comedy without restrictions.” “I was like you know what, I’m gonna give the people that liked me what made them like me. I’m gonna give them more of that. Through that people will see you didn’t start like liking me on Chappelle’s Show by accident. I didn’t just get lucky like oh he was on Chappelle’s Show and he came in on Dave’s coattails, or whatever. That was me and you liked me because of me, not because of Dave, not because of Eddie Murphy, not because of Chris Rock, not because of any of those guys. Just like you like them because of them, you like me because of me.”
The “me” of Charlie Murphy will be on display even more so this fall with the release of his autobiography, tentatively titled The Making of a Stand Up Guy. He says the book will be, “everything you always wanted to know about Charlie Murphy in 300 pages” and will detail many of the growing pains he experienced in both film and comedy. “You ain’t dealing with somebody who went straight from 0-60,” he says of his career, “I went one mile an hour, two miles an hour, three, four, every increment of speed increase I had to stand there and land on it and deal with it.” Murphy states he’s actually thankful for his elongated journey to stardom, saying “there are skills that come along with time. You develop over time and if you don’t do that you’re not gonna be the real article.” His slow build now has him doing almost everything, including an upcoming series of commercials for Nike where he will be bringing lifelong Michael Jordan nemesis/inspiration, Leroy Smith, to life.
Undoubtedly one of the busiest men in showbiz, Charlie Murphy can’t help but smile when he says “my best True Hollywood Story is about me.”
The winter issue of Beyond Race Magazine is due to hit newsstands nationwide on February 12th, but guess what... since I'm one of the editors of the mag I can bring you the cover images first! Common will be featured on the front while Attack of the Show will be gracing the back. Check em out!
Front Cover
Back Cover
This issue is an especially big one for me since I booked twelve of the stories in it, including BOTH covers, and I wrote the Attack of the Show feature myself. Start looking for it in mid-Feb and if your favorite magazine purchasing establishment doesn't carry BRM, beat the owner with a stick... or politely request that he, or she, order it. Totally your call.
The arts of rhyming and production aren’t easy for anyone to master, but they’re nearly impossible to when you can’t hear. Skila, an artist from Queens, NY, who both rhymes and produces, had to deal with this fact three years ago when, already deaf in his right ear, he was given the diagnosis that he had Meniere's Disease in his left ear, which was causing it to slowly go deaf, as well. The man who caught the rhyme bug from hanging out with the likes of Creature, Gab Gacha, Buck Live and Jam Dot was suddenly unable to record music. Thankfully, through taking care of himself he regained some of his hearing in his left ear and immediately hit the studio. This week I sat down with Skila to discuss the resulting album, Audionarcotics, his path back to being a recording artist, and the disease that nearly robbed him of his career.
Adam Bernard: Start things off by talking about Meniere’s Disease and how it’s effected your career. Skila: Meniere's Disease is an abnormality of the inner ear that causes symptoms such as light dizziness to vertigo, tinnitus, fluctuating hearing loss, and the sensation of pressure or pain in the affected ear. The disease usually affects only one ear and is a common cause of hearing loss. About three years ago I lost about 75% of the hearing in my left ear, my only good ear, to Meniere's Disease for about a year and spent another year in recovery. When it was happening it was so surreal. I was a different person then. At the time I had a good job, I was in a relationship, was in great shape and was about to finish my album and go full steam with my music career. Then I started getting sick and I slowing began to lose everything, including my sanity, along with my hearing. During that time I learned many things about myself, the first is that I'm very hardheaded. The second is that I still have no clue just how blessed I really am. Sometimes it takes losing everything, being stripped down to nothing, just to see what you're made of, to see what really has meaning. I eventually hit rock bottom, which turned out to be a liberating experience. That's when I realized I had two choices, live or die. Obviously I chose to live. Now when I say live or die, I don't mean suicide, what I mean is that when life hits us hard enough sometimes we die inside and lose all motivation, we lose our will to live. The secret is to chose life, embrace your pain and suffering, let it remind you that you can still feel, that you're still alive, and fight!
Adam Bernard: How did you get back to recording after all that, especially with the hearing loss? Skila: It was difficult, but I started making beats and recording vocals, following vibrations more than sounds. Most importantly, I began to eat better, exercise and remove a lot of negative energy from my life. Now it's three years later, my album's finished, I'm getting the promotions half of it in order, and I’m starting to hit the show circuit. I’m working with a handful of very talented artists on various projects that show much promise, but the best part is that I've gotten back most of the hearing in my left ear! They say God helps those that help themselves. I believe He helped me way before I was even conceived and I'm only beginning to use that help now.
Adam Bernard: Let’s talk about the album you just mentioned. Tell me about Audionarcotics and what you hope the listeners will get out of it. Skila:Audionarcotics is the result of a life addicted to Hip-Hop and it chronicles the changes and events that took place in my life prior to my hearing loss. When I went completely deaf production of the album stopped for almost a year and though I still managed to record vocals and make beats it was too difficult for me to continue. It took about a year to recover and when I did I just picked up where I had left off, finished the songs I started, and wrapped it up. All in all, I'm very happy with Audionarcotics. I put my heart and soul into it and feel that there's something there for everyone. As far as what I hope the listeners get out of it… I'm hoping they get some fun, some insight, something they can relate to, something to make em feel like they're not alone out there, or maybe just something to smoke to. For me personally, this is therapy, it helps me to express myself, share myself, at times even exorcise demons, so even if I wasn't trying to put out music I would probably still be doing this.
Adam Bernard: How would you describe your style as an emcee? Skila: I wouldn't call myself an emcee just yet, I have too much respect for the craft. I'm a lyricist. I say that because I personally feel that I haven't mastered the art of "off the head" freestyling and performing, but once I do then I’ll take on that title. I'm more of a writer / producer. While my fellow artists were at shows getting their stripes I was getting mine at the studio learning to make beats and produce. Now I feel it’s time for me to come full circle, so definitely expect to see me out in the show circuit. Anyway, back to the question, how would I describe my style? Me! It’s rebellious with a cause, intelligence with a razor's edge, it's poetic, its street, and in the same breath it’s refined. I don't have an image that I'm trying to portray, I just do what feels right.
Adam Bernard: Other than making a living what do you hope to accomplish from rhyming? Skila: Well, my music has matured since Audionarcotics and a lot has happened in my life. I have a broader perspective and I think this will allow me to have more to offer my listeners. I also see rhyming as a podium that when executed properly can be used to address a very large and growing part of the world. More and more people are listening to Hip-Hop and different forms of Hip-Hop are emerging, as well. I feel that because you can fit so much more into 16 bars of rhymes than you can into 16 bars of singing it is one of the most effective forms of delivering a message through song. When it’s all said and done, I would like to do my part for the culture, I would like to leave it better than I found it.
Adam Bernard: What do you enjoy the most about being an artist in the scene you’re in? Skila: That there's a good percentage of progressive talent that genuinely cares about the culture. That's what’s going to keep it evolving, rather than recycling like we've been doing. I also like the personalities. It’s almost like individualism is making a comeback and I can definitely dig that.
Adam Bernard: Finally, hit me with one change you would like to make in the world and why. Skila: I would like to get rid of the apathy. Once we get past that we can start changing things for the better. You can't change anything if you don't give a fuck. I am hopeful, though. It seems to be getting better. We just need to do our part as individuals because everything is connected and the more of us that understand that, the bigger the change.
Lee, the soulful voice of The Square Egg, ventured out on his own for a solo album last year. The album, Meet Lee, was a huge artistic success, as is his latest video from it, "Back 2 Love." "Back 2 Love" shows Lee's smooth side and the animated video is both creative and beautiful. Enjoy!
The other day I was interested in seeing what kinds of films, books and music Amazon.com thought I might enjoy, so I clicked on “Recommended For You.” What I found out was Amazon.com kinda thinks I’m a perv.
While looking at my “Recommended” list it became apparent very quickly that there was a common theme in what Amazon felt I’d enjoy – hot Asian women who kick ass. The first four items on the list were martial arts / action films starring gorgeous Asian women, and 11 of my top 15 overall recommendations were action flicks of some kind, most of them starring, you guessed it, beautiful Asian women. The list ranged from the Tokyo grindhouse movie The Machine Girl, where a girl loses her entire family to the Yakuza, gets her arm chopped off, but has it replaced with a machine gun so she can exact her revenge, to the live action version of Cutie Honey, which is about a girl who can turn into anything and is a “warrior of love.” (She also seems to be a warrior of boobs, which I think we can all agree are worth fighting for)
The first question that came to mind after taking everything in was “how on earth did they come up with this list?” I clicked on “Items You Own” and suddenly I saw things a bit more clearly. Although I have somewhere in the neighborhood of one hundred movies in my collection, Amazon is only aware of seven of them. They are as follows:
Yo-Yo Girl Cop – A hot, and extremely tough, Asian girl has to go undercover at a high school to figure out why kids are becoming suicide bombers and what it’s all leading to. One thing it leads to is an awesome fight scene that involves two hot girls in leather using yo-yos as weapons.
So Close – Two gorgeous female Asian assassins, one hot female cop, and TONS of fast paced action.
Vampire Effect – Two cutie Asian girls, Jackie Chan and the undead. I'm pretty sure that's a holy trinity for great movie making.
Dynamite Warrior – An Asian action flick that has great fight sequences, but a horribly convoluted plot.
The Last Dragon – Bruce Leroy faces off against Sho'Nuff, the shogun of Harlem, in one of the greatest movies of all-time!
Gamera: The Ultimate Collection – THREE movies starring Gamera, the city destroying, fire breathing, turtle that can fly! Gotta love a good (or bad) Japanese monster movie.
Dirty Work – Norm MacDonald’s piece de resistance, a hilarious movie about getting back at people who do awful things. Includes some classic one liners.
OK, so after taking a look at that list suddenly it wasn’t all that difficult to see how Amazon came up with theirs, and in reality my initial question of “how on earth did they come up with this list?” probably should have been something more along the lines of “how on earth are they so on the money?”
Yes, it turns out the only truly shocking thing about my “Recommended” list is how incredibly accurate Amazon’s computers really are. In fact, now that I think about it, it’s kinda nice to finally have a place that understands I’m a foreign film buff who respects strong female characters and happens to have an extensive background in the martial arts. (Hooray, I reasoned my way through it!)
It has been said that the road to success is a long and winding one. Enfield emcee Big Stat has certainly seen his fair share of obstacle on his. From having to deal with the murder of his mother when he was only 12 years old, to coming to the decision that he had to dissolve Hushh, the group he spent the past half decade building, and split from his musical partner and best friend, Diadem.
“It wasn’t just a decision I made overnight,” Big Stat says of going solo, “it was difficult, but down in my heart I knew it was the right decision for myself.” He adds that despite the breakup of the group, “there’s no beef, but as friends and artists we just went separate ways.”
To see how extensive Big Stat’s journey has been one only needs to look at the odometer of his 1998 Subaru Impreza Outback. It had 80,000 miles on it when he bought it a little over two years ago. Today the meter reads a shade over 190,000. The excessive mileage is due in part to Big Stat’s interesting idea of what “close” is. Enfield is on the border of Massachusetts, but he still refers to New York City, a place he frequents, as “down the street.” A street that just happens to be three hours long.
In addition to all the miles, Big Stat’s car has seen an impressive array of passengers. One of his friends suggested he have all the famous people who’ve been in it, a list that includes Method Man and Canibus, autograph it so he can sell it on ebay. “I’ve grinded so hard in this car, I’ve done so much. I told Canibus that and he was like ‘man, it’s a Subaru, you can drive this thing to the moon and back!’” The moon might be a stretch, but Big Stat has driven it just about everywhere else, including down to Miami for a trip where he credits being pulled over in Georgia for speeding as the sole reason he didn’t end up in the middle of a hurricane.
If you’re beginning to think Big Stat’s life sounds like something out of a movie you’re not the only one, filmmakers Mark Covino and John Kane agree. The duo have been filming both Big Stat and Dia for the past two years. “Even though the group split apart they’ve been following us separately,” Big Stat explains, “they’re doing a great job doing a documentary on what it takes to be in the industry and make it; the ups and downs, losing friends. We have Rakim in it, Chuck D, Green Lantern, Method Man, Redman, a bunch of people.” The one thing they don’t have, however, is an ending. “What they’re gonna do is keep filming until either Dia or I pretty much become successful in the music industry.”
One of the many interesting aspects of Big Stat’s life they’ve been documenting is his close friendship with Wu-Tang Clan legend Method Man. It’s a friendship that, according to Big Stat, got off to an inauspicious start. “I first met Method Man about eight years ago at a Wendy’s in Hartford,” he remembers, “I went up to him and started rhyming and he walked away from me.” Big Stat’s hustle, however, made all the difference in the world, as many of the miles he’s racked up have been to network at concerts and it just so happened quite a few of the shows he ended up at featured Method Man. “I became really good friends with his manager, Seven. I call him uncle Seven, we’re like family. I kept in touch with Meth and Seven and eventually we grew a tight relationship. We had a lot of the same views on Hip-Hop and he respected my grind. He knew that every time I chilled with him until four in the morning that I had to be at work at six and that I would drive home and go straight to work.” One thing Method Man didn’t realize, however, was that Big Stat had skills on the mic.
“Meth just thought I was Dia’s manager up until January of 2008.” It was at that point that Big Stat decided it was time to rhyme for him again. “He went bonkers. He said ‘how come you never told me you spit?’ and I was like ‘I rhymed for you when I was like 16 at a Wendy’s in Hartford and you walked away from me.’ He just started laughing. He was like ‘I don’t even remember that.’”
Soon enough everyone will know Big Stat’s status as an elite emcee. He just wrapped up doing the last handful of dates of Method Man and Redman’s tour and he may be featured on their next tour, as well. Big Stat is also finishing up a mixtape titled Don’t Quit Your Day Job that is scheduled to be released in March and will be hosted by Redman, as well as a currently untitled album that he hopes to shop to labels. Musically these projects will be a departure from Big Stat’s work with Hushh as he’s working with a number of artists from overseas and even an acoustic guitarist. Production on the album includes tracks by Ralphie-O and Young Cee, the latter being a producer who’s worked with Little Brother and Scarface.
Since networking has been the backbone of everything Big Stat’s done he’s decided to bring some of that hustle to Connecticut in the form of a monthly event for producers. On the last Sunday of every month he hosts the get together at Vibz Uptown in Hartford. This month will feature Canibus’ producer, Puerto Roc, and the creator the M.O.P. classic “Ante Up,” DR Period.
In an illustration of hard work paying off, after over half a decade of traveling anywhere and everywhere just to make a connection, Big Stat finally has people coming to him.
For J-Zone making a record is a fantastic experience. Nothing beats the actual creation of music (pun intended). Some of the other aspects that go along with putting out a record, however, aren’t necessarily the most enjoyable in the world. This week J-Zone took some time out of his day to speak with me about some of the highs and lows that come with making a record, why he makes sure to take a decent amount of time off in-between projects, and how he’s seen himself change over the years, both as an artist and a person. The interview is brazenly honest as J-Zone provides an openness that is rarely seen from Hip-Hop artists, making this feature one heck of a read.
Just in time for inauguration day - a brand new episode of The Adam B Experience! This week’s podcast features six new songs including a hilarious take on Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it).” You know his is what Obama's going to be listening to on his iPod during all those inauguration festivities, so check it out!
You can download or stream the entire show at RapReviews.com.
Playlist
Doomtree – The Wren brokeMC – Every Damn Day People Big Stat – I Gave You Everything Vinnie Scullo – Blood and Chocolate Milk Phenetiks – Last Day of Freedom Skila – No Rest for the Wicked Adrian Roxtar – Put a Ring on it (Fellas Version) 8th W1 – Drunken Saturday T-Weaponz – Xtraordinary Chaz Kangas – My Pizza With God Jake Lefco – Teeth Chatter Tah Phrum Duh Bush – Mr. Alarm Clock Urbalist – Play My Cards
Growing up in the middle class suburb of Westfield, New Jersey, life was pretty normal for Urbalist. He had his own group of friends, and started rhyming in his mid-teens. In 1999 he went off to college at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, met Moses "Moe Mentum" Hernandez, and the two formed a group. Something happened on the way to stardom, though, Urbalist received the news that he had cancer. Determined to beat it, Urbalist decided to write rhymes during the entire experience. Those rhymes turned into an album, Cancerous Flow: Lyrical Journal, that details his journey from the time he was diagnosed all the way up through his eventual victory over the disease. This week I sat down with Urbalist to find out more about the recording of the album, what it feels like for him when he listens to it now, and some of the other projects he’s working on.
Adam Bernard: Tell me what inspired you to create an entire album while you were going through cancer treatments? Urbalist: Honestly, it was really for selfish reasons in a way. I mean, in the beginning it was all for me. In the end I ended up with this project that I’m able to use to help so many other people, and I love that I'm able to do that, but in the beginning I decided to do the album because I knew I would need something to keep me going, to keep me distracted from the pain and the chemo and the fear that comes with cancer, and I'll be honest, I think that’s the reason I'm still here. That’s why one of the songs on the album is called "How Hip Hop Saved My Life."
Adam Bernard: What kind of cancer was it and how quickly did they catch it? Urbalist: It was Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and luckily for me they caught it really quickly. Most people are not that lucky. My tumor was in the bone in my arm and it was growing in such a position that one night while I was asleep it broke my arm and when I woke up I was in severe pain. I was misdiagnosed at first when the ER doctor in Atlanta thought it was bursitis, but as soon as I got some x-rays taken back in New Jersey an MRI was ordered along with a few other scans and that confirmed that I had a tumor. Then I had to have one surgery to do a biopsy of the tumor to determine whether or not it was malignant. When I woke up in the recovery room, that’s when I found out I’d have to have chemo. I was not pleased to say the least.
Adam Bernard: Yeah, that’s terrible. From what I've heard chemo can really suck the energy out of a person. With emceeing is a high energy craft how did you go about gathering yourself up to rhyme? Urbalist: Well it was all about the schedule really. See it takes about a week for the horrible side effect of the chemo to begin, so I would get one week of treatment then two weeks off. Usually the immediate week after getting all the chemo was the worst. I was often hospitalized for a week or two right after the week of treatment so that’s when I would write. I'd sit up in my hospital bed with a pen and pad and write all the songs. I knocked out all of the writing in about two months and then I moved on to the production phase of it. I had all of my beat production software on my laptop and I would bring it to the hospital with me and make beats right there in my room. Once I had ten beats and I was happy with for the ten songs I had written I started recording. It took a lot out of me but I banged it out anyway. I had a friend, Edgar Cruz AKA Vertygo, come down to Jersey and stay with me for a week and he engineered for me and mixed the album down when we finished recording. Without his help I wouldn't have been able to finish it in the time frame I wanted. After all of that I did the graphic design for the cover when I was in the hospital again and once that was done I sent it all off for duplication. That was one week before my last treatment.
Adam Bernard: How does listening to the album affect you? Urbalist: It takes me back, man. I can remember sitting in my hospital bed coming up with this line and that line, memories of being in my vocal booth with my backpack full of chemo recording this line and that line. It makes me proud because I’ve come so far since then, but it really affects me in two ways at once. It can bring me to a very dark place, or it can make me realize how lucky I am to be here. To be honest with you performing it is always much more emotional for me than listening to it.
Adam Bernard: What do you hope people get out of the album? Urbalist: I'm just happy if it makes people stop and think. If they can get anything out of it I’m good. It can be something different for everyone. It’s very heavy subject matter so I know it’s not an easy listen. I’ve had people tell me that they burst into tears halfway through it and had to force themselves to listen to the rest because they found it that powerful. Obviously I would like to believe that it gives a person battling cancer, or a cancer survivor, hope for the future because after all it is a success story. I made it and I'm still alive. I’m probably healthier now than I was pre-cancer. I think it says "hey, you can make it to."
Adam Bernard: What other projects can people hear you on? Urbalist: Myself and Moe Mentum, formerly referred to as Hybrid H and now referred to simply as Urbalist and Moe Mentum, have put out five full length original albums and we have each put out a solo album as well:
- Out of Hybrination - From the Start to the Credits - All In Mixtape volumes 1-3 - Last of The Moe-Ricans (Moe Mentum solo) - Self Reflection (Urbalist solo)
Adam Bernard: Where do you see yourself going next as an artist? Urbalist: Hopefully to a place where my audience is expanded and I have an opportunity to speak to more people on a whole. I like to believe that I make music with a message, even with my non-cancer related stuff, so I want people to hear my music and start thinking and building.
Some may remember Rabbi D from his episode of MTV's Made where he was a coach to an aspiring beatboxer. Others know him as a member of the NYC Hip-Hop trio 3rd Party. This week's Vid Pick, however, is all about Rabbi D's solo work and his latest video, "State of the Union." Check it out!
I know it’s been a while since the last installment of From A to B 90’s Style, but if From A to B 90's Style is what you've been waiting for this is your lucky day because your favorite dynamic duo are back! In this episode fellow superstar journalist Bear Frazer and I are taking a look at clips by Mariah Carey, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice Deejay and Soul Coughing. Enjoy!
Adam: Let's start with a true classic in every sense of the word.
Adam: Yeeeah, one of the best remixes EVER! Bear: How incredible is this, an angelic girl out of a 90's movie singing in a park and then ODB going apeshit near a gated carnival fence. Adam: Hey, that clown is tied up. I never noticed that before. Remember when Mariah was the finest chick in the game? I do. Bear: Remember when she was so innocent in the “Dreamlover” video? Adam: Heck yeah. Hey, look, rollerblades. Oh this isn't dated. Nice kneepads Mariah. Bear: OMG! Clownie! I didn't know Slipknot was in this video! Adam: Mariah, ODB and Slipknot... what a trio. Bear: Notice everyone seems happy on the rollercoaster, except her. Perhaps that’s because she hasn’t seen Slipknot yet. Adam: Damn she was fine, and damn Dirty was nuts. I remember being at a press conference with ODB and Mariah and lemme tell you Mariah is STUNNING in person Bear: Is it me, or does she look thinner back then? Adam: Thinner and less plastic surgery. Bear: Yeah. You know Nick Cannon if wildin out over that marriage. Derek Jeter must be kicking himself. Adam: Please, everyone knows he doesn't have that kind of range.
Bear: Time for some rock.
Adam: He's a zero, it says so on his shirt. Bear: Like Vanilla Ice said in his movie, drop Billy Corgan and get with Batman. Adam: What? Are you taking the film Cool as Ice in vein? Bear: Umm... look, the Asian guitarist, Jimmy Iha! Adam: You're not a rat in a cage, you're a band playing while everyone else works. Bear: Dude, I didn't know they had electrical outlets on top of dirt hills. Adam: This must be he acoustic version. Bear: Notice how Billy Corgan looks less of an alien? It’s because of the hair. If you didn't notice, yes, he has hair. Mot much. Just enough. Adam: This video is pretty meh. Bear: Notice how it turned into Smashing Pumpkins featuring the mud people from Woodstock '94? Adam: Yeah, and now they're gonna bury a guy alive. None of this has anything to do with the song. Bear: It's taking way too many people to bury people alive. The Undertaker could do this during a commercial break. And out of no where is a fire hydrant Adam: So the moral of the story is... water is good? Bear: Yes. Adam: Dude, what's with all the spitting? You're a rock singer, Billy, not a shortstop. Bear: Perhaps instead of "Rats in a cage," it's "human trafficking on a dirt mountain?"
Adam: OK, no let's move to a song that reminds me of my last year in college.
Adam: I heard this song every night in every bar on Long Island during my senior year. It was some sorority’s theme and when they sang the hook I'd mutter "yes." Bear: Evidently, that sorority must've housed pillheads. Adam: He's waiting for Billy Corgan's army of muddy minions to help him out. Incidentally, tremendous use of widescreen. Bear: Ha ha! It looks like Mr. and Mrs. Smith ripped this video off. Adam: Yeah? Never saw it. Bear: You should. Angelina Jolie is hot in it and Brad Pitt, well, he's funny. Adam: This looks like the worst honeymoon ever. Bear: Sand hills are very futuristic. Adam: He's running up these sand hills like "no, I swear I parked my car right HERE!" Bear: Dude fell! He’s like, "I'm tired of doing the running man in the desert." I would be, too. Adam: Primal scream. Bear: Seriously, this is a great commercial for Aiwa headphones. A little long, but cool nonetheless. Adam: And apparently, because he went alone he died.
Bear: My last choice is a video I’ve never seen, but let’s do it.
Adam: Oh jeez, is this another Bear Frazer special I am sure to dislike? Yeah, looks to be. Bear: Time for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones! Oh wait. Oh. It's Soul Coughing. Adam: You're the only person I know who listened to college rock while in high school. BTW - that doesn't make you "advanced." Bear: Notice dude is running around in a tunnel? That's not good. You breathe heavier when you run and you're supposed to hold your breath in a tunnel. Adam: "What's our budget? Ah, let's just film it in a tunnel at a Chuck E. Cheese." Bear: OK, he's walking upside down. That's just weird, just like the string falling from his Gap sweater. How does he not know the thread is being pulled, huh? Adam: This song makes me think of hacky sacks and girls with hairy legs talking about how "free" they are. Bear: He must not like his Gap sweater. Adam: Someone call Weezer! This guy is jackin their ish! Bear: That is Rivers Cuomo in ten years.
In 1988 techno grew out of an increasingly popular Hip-Hop scene and DJ Paul Edge was a leader of that movement. In recent years he’s used his work in a more political manner, creating pieces on the Iraq war and hurricane Katrina, as well as on issues such as global warming. In the fall of 2008 Paul Edge, who has created a new genre for his work, calling it Psychedelic Dance Music, had three of his songs featured on the hit television show CSI, and this week I caught up with him to find out more about how electronic music evolved out of Hip-Hop, when and why he decided to incorporate political issues into his work, and what went into his decision to become and American citizen.
Adam Bernard: Start me off by telling me about Psychedelic Dance Music. Does it involve mushrooms and disco? DJ Paul Edge: No. Nothing could be further from the truth. Way back in the day when I first started DJing I was a hardcore Hip-Hop DJ. I spun artists like Big Daddy Kane, Public Enemy, anything that came out in the early days of Def Jam, long before it became what it is now, and I just decided to play the 33s on 45 and see what would happen. I’ve had an obsession with breakbeats for as long as I can remember and what Psychedelic Dance Music is is that urban sound played quicker. The psychedelic aspect refers to what it does to you on the dance floor, it has nothing to do with drugs. Basically, we got so fed up with trying to define the term we just felt, well, what is this? Is it techno? Well, techno is speeded up breaks. Virtually every techno DJ I know is a Hip-Hop fan. Is it trance? No, because trance is cheesy and commercial and quite frankly, shite. So we just came up with this term that was all-encompassing. It has nothing to do with drugs, it has nothing to do with anything other than the effect it has on the dance floor, but it’s linked in more ways than anybody could realize to Hip-Hop without the gangster element.
Adam Bernard: So there’s no pimpin or posting up on the corner? DJ Paul Edge: Nothing like that, no, but it represents a street feel rather than a glitzy club feel.
Adam Bernard: Was it just the speeding up of records that got you into electronic music, or was there some other aspect that drew you over there? DJ Paul Edge: Back then most of the Hip-Hop artists were exploring rhythm and tempo. You listen to “Step Off” by Big Daddy Kane that’s probably 124, 125 beats per minute… it might be a bit slower, I can’t remember, it’s so long ago. The De La Soul stuff ranged from 90 bpm to I think “Say No Go” would be around 110. Then you’ve got Rob Base and E-Z Rock, which was 112 bpm. So when Hip-Hop first started it was far more experimental in respect to tempo than what we have today. From a dance floor perspective acid house was just breaking, which sort of ran between 120 and 130 bpm. That came from Chicago and Detroit. It was an urban sound, it was totally so far off the wall and I fell in love with acid house, but obviously I didn’t want to lose sight of my breaks. Between 1990 and 1993 there was this fusion thing where people couldn’t let go of their bass roots, but they wanted to speed up the tempo and I just basically followed that on and never left it. It’s as simple as that.
Adam Bernard: I think within the Hip-Hop community the Miami bass scene did some of that, most notably acts like 2 Live Crew. DJ Paul Edge: Yeah, and there was Roxanne Chante, she did a track with one of the Chicago boys called “Sharp as a Knife” and there was this whole correlation between Hip-Hop and acid house and at The Outer Limits (in England) we never lost sight of that, so our second room was always breaks. We never lost sight of that rawness that you get from the street.
Adam Bernard: After a decade of success you made the decision to drop out of the limelight for a bit in 2005. What went into that decision and what made you want to come back? DJ Paul Edge: It was never a question of going away. That wasn’t the thing, it was just… from my perspective something needed to happen. I’d been DJing for many years and I’d been traveling around the world for many years, and I just got bored, quite frankly, and I thought, you know what, it’s time for you to reinvent yourself. I’ve done it a couple of times. I did it in ’94. I just disappeared for two years and then I came back throwing monthly parties at The Outer Limits. Music, especially electronic music, goes through phases where it basically peaks and gets a bit tedious after a while and from my perspective there wasn’t that much happening. I couldn’t get into the minimal thing, so I thought well now is the time to go back into the studio, put your head down and just create this sound that you’ve always dreamed about creating, but have never had the time to do.
Adam Bernard: Outside of music, you became an American citizen a few years ago. Why was this important to you? DJ Paul Edge: I’ve been coming to America for as long as I can remember. The country, the culture, and everything else is just something I have a huge admiration for and a respect for. Europe isn’t like America. You can drive across Europe in 24 hours and go to eight countries. You can drive for 24 hours in America and just about get into the next state.
Adam Bernard: Depending on where you are! DJ Paul Edge: {laughs} I know what really brought the size of the country home to me is I had a show, I was down here in Arizona and I had a show in Syracuse. I thought oh, it doesn’t look far on the map, we’ll drive. Four and a half days later, one hour before the show, we turned up and that really brought it home to me in respect of if you’re going to focus on this country you can’t just do it part time. There is so much culture here that people in Europe possibly dismiss. America isn’t New York and Los Angeles and San Francisco, there’s a helluva lot in-between and to really really focus on America and learn about it and learn about what makes America tick you’ve got to make the commitment. In my case it wasn’t the biggest decision in the world because I have so many friends over here. It’s just a country I fell in love with the very first second I stepped foot in it.
Adam Bernard: That’s interesting to hear because the prevailing thought in the US that every other country hates us. DJ Paul Edge: No, I would take issue with that. I think that when we did “We Will Not Be Silenced” we used a preacher who’s done a lot of work with Hip-Hop artists, Reverend Hagler, and I didn’t get that vibe from Europe. I think that they drew a distinction between the people and the politicians.
Adam Bernard: I’m glad you mentioned “We Will Not Be Silenced” because you do a lot of work with video, as well as music, but you don’t create what most people would categorize as “music videos.” DJ Paul Edge: “We Will Not Be Silenced” we did in response to the Iraq war and it wasn’t so much done in response to the soldiers, it was done in response to the politicians. That was something we felt very strongly about, that these kids were going over there and having their legs blown off for whatever reason, but when they came home society has to basically stand up for them. We believe that. My sister was a nurse in the first Iraq war and we just felt it was very important to draw a definition between the guys who were following orders and the guys who were giving the orders.
Adam Bernard: Was that the first time you mixed politics with music? DJ Paul Edge: Oh no, I’ve always been political, but “We Will Not Be Silenced,” for the current Iraq war, was the first time that we really put our necks on the line and said this is how we feel. Again, going to back to Public Enemy, who used to stand on stage and scream about rights, dance music, or techno, never really embraced that, but that’s what music should be doing. In my opinion, electronica, or techno, or whatever you want, there were probably two or three DJs in the world that stood up and were being counted. If we’re going to be true to our Hip-Hop influences, and we have something to say, then we have to use our music to say it. I was getting emails from people who had met me when I was touring who were now fighting in Iraq and I was like hang on a second here, that’s not right, these are nice people.
Adam Bernard: They didn’t do anything to anybody. DJ Paul Edge: Exactly. I remember once there was a protest outside of a soldier’s hospital and I wrote a scathing blog about it and I got loads of emails from troops basically saying thank you for writing that. There’s not much that we don’t have an opinion on, but this was something that I honestly believed was wrong, I believed it was wrong from the very second that Colin Powell sat in front of the United Nations and lied, and I didn’t see that spilling a single drop of American blood was worth it.
Adam Bernard: You’ve done a few others, as well. DJ Paul Edge: We did the Nola Ate video. After Katrina I was watching to footage from American TV and listening to the radio through the BBC from England and what I was seeing on the screen totally differed to what was being broadcast in Europe. I was like hang on a minute here, I’m watching this, so I wrote another blog and we sent it to a British DJ called Annie Nightingale, she’s a legendary DJ, and said Annie, we’re listening to what you’re saying on the radio, but that’s not what’s gong on. She read the blog and said “I just had a blog from Paul Edge in America and I don’t think we’re being told the full story of what’s going on.” Within days the whole coverage in Europe changed. Then we put up the Nola 8 video and we raised a bit of money for local charities in New Orleans. People say oh, you’re really political. No, I’m not, I’m not political, I just think that sometimes people have to do the right thing and to hell with the consequences and the war in Iraq and Katrina were two examples of us being in a position to say something and make a difference and if it affects one person then we’ve done our job.
Adam Bernard: Moving away from politics, you recently had a few songs featured on an episode of CSI. Since I’m sure you’d like to have your music on most shows it would be silly of me to ask which other shows you’d like to work with. That being said, are there shows that are no longer on the air that you would have loved to lend your production skills to? DJ Paul Edge: Wow, that’s a good question. Twin Peaks. There was a bizarreness about that program which I think would have been really good to have done something for. And I’d loved to have had Bill Hicks use one of my songs as an intro to his comedy show. That would have been just absolutely superb because the guy was a genius who was never recognized. But with respect to other TV shows I’m not really a TV person so it’s tough to say, but South Park, that’s one show I would KILL to have one of my records on because it is, in my opinion, the best satire to come out of this country in the last 40 years. They’re using their art to make a point and I just feel that the preface, going back to the psychedelic phase, was that psychedelic artists in the 60’s made their point. They were far more involved. Today you’ve got Britney Spears, you’ve got Justin Timberlake, you’ve got that bloody what’s her name bitch?
Adam Bernard: Miley Cyrus? DJ Paul Edge: Oh don’t even get me started on her. I mean she’s a nice girl, I’m sure, but c’mon. It’s vacuous. We’ve got a lot more problems to worry about than rubbish like that. I’m a huge Mobb Deep fan and a huge Prophet Posse fan, as well. They say something, and so does Nas. All these artists actually use their art to make a point. It’s about time that the musicians of this world who are not over 70 years old actually try and do something to make a difference and I don’t see that happening, really.
Most Hip-Hop heads that are of a certain age remember buying singles on vinyl, cassette, or CD. All of these types of singles had something in common that is sorely lacking in today’s digital world – a B-side. With slumping album sales and record labels still struggling to harness the power and usability of the internet, there are a number of reasons why a digital B-Side is a great idea that needs to see the light of day.
Let’s start with the most obvious reason to include a B-side, which is to get more of an artist’s music to a person who is obviously interested in hearing it. If a person buys a single and only gets one song they will enjoy that song for a certain amount of time and then move on to the next artist. By including a B-side you potentially double the life of your artist in a person’s playlist and create much more of a potential for the buyer to purchase the entire album.
Think about it this way, how many times have you heard a person say “the single’s hot, but I want to hear more before I go out and buy the album.” A lot, right? People have been burned too many times by one hit wonders and albums that are all filler, no killer. A digital B-side would go a long way to curing the questioning of whether an album is worthy of someone’s hard earned money. Record labels never had problems doing this when singles were in every other format, so they shouldn’t have a problem doing it now.
As a Hip-Hop head there was sometimes another reason to pick up a single, even if you already had the album it was from, because a lot of artists would make the B-side to their single a song unavailable anywhere else. Rare B-sides are still some of a crate digger’s most treasured finds. The rarity aspect is part of it, but the fact that a lot of these songs were really dope is equally important. Using Busta Rhymes as an example, I bought The Coming, but I also went out and copped the maxi-single for “Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check” because it had the remix with ODB. That maxi-single also had a remix done by Jay-Dee. Busta and Dilla… hells yeah! Then there was the single for Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" which included the classic remix that featured, again, ODB (I think I just inadvertently created a theme here) that you could only get if you copped the single.
One more feature singles had that digital downloads are still lacking are instrumentals. I can remember back in the day everyone rhymed off of the Wu-Tang instrumentals that were on the “C.R.E.A.M.” maxi-single (again, just like with “Woo Hah!!” we all also owned the album it was from). Heck, in some cases the instrumentals were more sought after than the actual songs (and remember, if you’re a label all you really care about is making money and a sale is a sale no matter what part of the single the person is buying it for).
If record labels start treating digital singles like they did vinyl, cassette and CD singles by including either another track from the album, a track not on the album, an instrumental, or a remix or two, their sales might start to perk up a bit and artists would have a much better chance at having some real staying power. I’m not saying it’s the cure all for what ails the music industry, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to incorporate something they know worked in the past to their present day format.
I can honestly say that even though I get most of my music for free by virtue of being on press lists, if I knew a single had a dope B-Side that I couldn’t get anywhere else I’d pick it up. That was always one of the biggest selling points of singles for me and why I have a fairly large collection of them today.
If you want to know something about the art of freestyle who better to speak with than Myka 9, who is one of the founders of the legendary Freestyle Fellowship? That’s what I just did, and if you’re interested in all things “off the head” you’ll definitely want to check out the interview. There’s tons of info on both the art behind freestyling and what’s happened to it since it became popularized.
Silent Knight is an artist I became aware of by virtue of being in the scene. We’d met at a few events and at the most recent one we were at he handed me a copy of his debut album, Hunger Strike. Hunger Strike, an album filled with powerful, message-based Hip-Hop, was originally released at the very end of 2006 and Silent Knight followed it up with a remix CD titled Restoration: One Step Back, Two Steps Forward. Staying busy, in 2008 he released a free album online at his website and co-founded an all-ages art and music event titled Hub City Revival. In addition to all that he’s also a finalist in Loud.com’s emcee competition, which happens to pit him against his friends Homeboy Sandman and Kaze. This week I caught up with Silent Knight to find out how he’s dealing with being in such a big competition against some of his good friends, what he hopes people get out of his music, and why he feels that despite his own style being highly message driven there’s still a time and place for a brainless rap artist or two.
Adam Bernard: Let’s start with your name. What about you is Silent and what about you is Knight? Silent Knight: What's Silent about me... well, I'm a very private person in a lot of ways, and very much a thinker, so while Hip-Hop has helped me to be more sociable, I'm still a pretty quiet person a lot of times. Sometime after I wrote one of my first songs at age ten there was a gap where I would be writing every day, but not letting anyone hear anything I was working on. That actually contributed to the name Silent Knight. The part of me that's Knight is the fact that underneath the quiet, private, self-conscious exterior is a man with a lot to say. I try to use my music as a balance of entertainment and social commentary, or activism, even. A lot of people that know me, or have had at least one conversation with me, tell me I am a completely different person when I'm on stage performing and I think that's a perfect example of Silent vs. Knight.
Adam Bernard: Currently you are involved in a contest on Loud.com where you're up against two of your friends, Homeboy Sandman and Kaze. How do you deal with competing against people you both know and respect? Silent Knight: The way I honestly see competing against people I know and respect is like this - if I don't win I sure as hell hope one of them wins, and I know they probably feel the same way. If you’re not gonna win it would feel good knowing someone whose music you like, and who you like and respect as a person, won. We all wanna win, but at the same time, the three of us, I can’t speak for anyone else, have been working hard for a while now and we will all continue to do so. When I got into the finals Boy Sand called me and congratulated me and I did the same when I heard Kaze was in.
Adam Bernard: The vast majority of your songs have a point to them. When was it that you started working messages into your music and why do you feel it's important to do so? Silent Knight: I think I've been doing that since day zero. What I try to do is make music that sounds good while also having lyrics that mean something. I always had a pet peeve about cats who either had a lot of important stuff to say, but rhymed over a distorted weird sounding beat and were all off beat or mumbling, and cats whose music or beats sound really dope and really professional but weren't saying anything and they weren’t being creative about the nothing they were saying. So getting back to your actual question, when I first stared writing I guess I just naturally would write stuff that was raw and also had a point to it, whether that point was a story about a robbery, or about how we need to stop killing and robbing each other and learn about our ancestry. It comes naturally to me being a thinker. I try not to strain to think of the craziest most out there topic, but I think it's very important to have messages in the music, As much as Hip-Hop is a music for adults and contains "bad language" a lot of the time, it's also for the kids… more so even. I have done plenty of shows and festivals where little kids come up to me and tell me they liked my performance and I've had a lot of parents tell me how much they appreciate my music and its messages. With how unbalanced the airwaves and TV are, playing a lot of nonsense, I think positive messages are definitely needed. I'm not afraid to say that. Plus adults get bored with the same ol’ same ol’, too.
Adam Bernard: If only one of your messages could make it to the people which one would you want it to be and why? Silent Knight: Aww man, I hate questions about my "favorites," or "what’s the best." I guess I'm an indecisive person. Most of the time it's about favorite emcees, albums, books or food, though… this is even more difficult. {laughs} Alright, the message would be, “we are priceless people. When will we realize this, people?! All walks of life, all shapes, colors and sizes, people!" That "we got more in common than we're led to believe, but hate mongers go around and spread the disease." Basically, that we can get more accomplished if we work together, that we should respect each other and love each other and respect our planet. Nothing else matters if we don't have a planet to love on and people living on it. That’s the foundation. Peace, Justice, Equality, Unity. Am I getting to deep or preachy? {laughs} Anyway, that would be the message. Either that or, “I'm mad nice at rhyming.” Take your pick!
Adam Bernard: Finally, as someone who infuses messages into his rhymes, do you feel there's still a time and place for artists who don't necessarily have anything to say? Silent Knight: Absolutely. I really do. Some people take it so serious and think artists who don't really have anything to say should just give up or fall off a cliff. Sometimes I hear artists who I think should give it up, too, or at least switch it up, or work on their craft more, but I think it comes down to creativity. There are rappers who don't talk about anything but drugs and guns, or money and women, but they do it creatively. On the other hand someone could talk about a lot of powerful and important issues but have no creativity in their rhymes and song writing, or no energy and style, and I could hate it. Some singers could sing about nothing but love, have a whole album with nothing but love songs, which sounds boring and played out as hell on paper, but if he or she could sing their ass off and be creative with the love songs it could be one of my favorite albums. I think it's about balancing it out. The artists I appreciate and admire most have a wide variety of styles and walk that line of having something to say and making it sound good.
Those who've seen Homeboy Sandman live know how insane the crowd gets during "Lightning Bolt. Lightning Rod." For those who haven't been fortunate enough to see him live I have good news, he's managed to channel all of that craziness into an equally insane video for the song. From selling candy on the subway to fighting off dinosaurs, this video has it all!
The other day I was sitting down to yet another concert DVD when I realized something. Despite being a fan of the artist, and despite the fact that I’m sure I would have had a great time at the show, I didn’t feel compelled at all to watch the DVD. It wasn’t the artist, and it wasn’t my mood, it was the simple fact that concert DVDs that are just a concert are usually fairly bland.
We all have favorite artists, but unless our favorite artists are dead we can still see them live whenever they tour. Obviously a concert DVD is necessary if you want to see The Beatles, Bob Marley or The Doors, but for living artists the concert DVD is a let down. Here’s why:
There is no way an artist can recreate the atmosphere of a live show with a DVD. You won’t have your friends around. You won’t be meeting other fans of the artist and making new friends. You won’t be singing along to your favorite songs with the crowd, or shouting out your requests (which will more than likely go ignored because of this little thing called a “set list,” but who cares, it’s not about whether it gets played, it’s about the artist knowing you dig his or her work). You won’t be buying too expensive beer at the bar and getting your shoes stuck on the floor. I know, it may sound like a good thing to be missing out on those last two, but in reality it’s all part of the ambience of a show. A concert is supposed to be a group experience and involve being a part of a community, not making sure the bottoms of your sneakers stay clean.
Simply put, concerts were meant to be experienced in a venue with other people around, not in your living room while sitting on your couch. This is especially true of Hip-Hop shows which usually sound like an inaudible mess on DVD. Partly this is due to the fact that so many rappers don’t know how to hold a microphone correctly, but it’s also due in part to the fact that Hip-Hop relies heavily on a rowdy crowd and a rowdy crowd creates a lot of noise, which is great live, but a mess on DVD.
Motivating people is one of the biggest goals of a live performer, and even the best artists would have to admit it’s damned near impossible to motivate a person when that someone is sitting down and really comfortable. So do we ditch the concert DVD altogether? No. We make it better.
I have seen a number of concert DVDs that have worked and it’s been because the artist has created a documentary around the show. It’s not just the concert, there are backstage moments, tour bus moments, moments with the artists just talking and hanging out. In the case of Hip-Hop artists there are dressing room freestyles. Some artists talk about the history of certain songs, or the history of the group. I’ve seen rare backstage interview footage used. There’s plenty that can help make the entire viewing experience much more enjoyable.
In the end it’s really all about context. An artist wouldn’t perform for a packed venue the same way they’d do a personal show for you in your living room, so how can anyone expect the reverse to work? Thankfully, with a little creativity, a concert DVD can be turned into a concert documentary and become something a fan will truly enjoy.
Playing a stage in NYC isn’t exactly going to a place where no man has gone before, but for the majority of Connecticut Hip-Hop artists it probably feels that way. Very few CT emcees get the opportunity to perform in NYC, which is one of the reasons Phenetiks’ upcoming appearance at The Annex on January 9th, is so impressive.
“NY is a comfortable vibe for us and the Phenetiks ‘sound.’” says Deto-22, who, along with DJ Sir.Cumference, Protégé and Roc-one make up the Phenetiks foursome. According to Deto there’s another reason they’re amped to be performing in NYC. “We’re looking forward to rockin with Homeboy Sandman.” Homeboy Sandman being one of the most buzzed about emcees in all of NYC.
For Phenetiks, a lot of their buzz has developed from their live shows, which they feel begin with their DJ, Sir.Cumference. Protégé calls Sir.Cumference, “our innovator,” adding “he comes up with some insane formulas for scratching and adds flare to our tracks.” Roc-one, who is the lone New Yorker in the group, being from Brooklyn, seconds this, saying Sir.Cumference is “a one man show.” Of course, he could be a one man show, but with the rest of the crew there he’s part of a four man show, a four man show that has been improving by leaps and bounds when it comes to their performances. Improvements that Deto says have been the direct result of their affiliation with the AntFarm Affiliates.
“I stepped up my ‘on stage’ after seeing Hawl-Digg of Workforce kill it one night,” Deto remembers, “he kills it every night, but on this particular evening we were going on directly after them and he destroyed it. I was like, there’s no way I’m going up there and doing my usual. It helped me shake off a few more stage fright pounds. We also see Sketch Tha Cataclysm, The Rising Sun Quest and d_Cyphernauts give their 110% every time.” Inspiration was only one part of the equation for Phenetiks, though, as Deto notes another important aspect of their live shows is that “the four of us know each other’s shit, so it’s easy to just go up there and have fun and just let the energy fly.”
Protégé agrees that having fun is extremely important when hitting the stage, saying “How can someone else enjoy your music if you, yourself, are on stage and you don’t look like you’re having a good time? I’ve noticed that if I’m having fun on stage the crowd usually reciprocates that.”
With plenty of crowds reciprocating, and NYC calling, many may wonder why more artists aren’t working their way to bigger stages. Roc has a theory on why more CT artists don’t make it to NYC and it starts with them not perfecting their craft while in CT. “I think most cats don’t make the transition to performing, period,” he states, “it’s because they don’t believe in their own art and movement, so they remain stagnant.”
Stagnant is something Phenetiks can never be accused of being. In 2007, only two years after they became a group, they were named one of the Rawkus 50, a high honor for any underground rap group. Unfortunately, the high honor also meant they were competing for ears with 49 other talented artists. Despite the massive amount of newfound competition, the group agrees it was an accomplishment to be proud of as Protégé notes “it assured us that we had something good going.” Reflecting further he says the group has now come to view the entire thing more as a learning experience than the launching pad so many groups were hoping it would be. According to Deto, “we made some friends out of it and figured out some assholes, too.”
Look for a lot more from Phenetiks in 2009 as Roc states “this year is where we take everything we’ve learned and put it to use at full force. There will be no half-stepping.” No half-stepping, indeed, as the crew plans on releasing Protégé’s solo album at the start of the year, Roc’s shortly thereafter, a few projects Deto’s working on with some other members of the AFA, and then finally in mid to late ’09 they plan on releasing a third Phenetiks album. Fans can rest assured that they’ll be hitting plenty of stages in support of all of these projects, although as Roc points out, “ironically, the hardest crowd to please is in CT.”
After nearly half a decade of being battle tested on their own home turf, Phenetiks is prepared for just about anything.
During a recent self-Google I noticed the Wikipedia page of former adult film star Adriana Sage came up when I looked for my name. My first thought upon seeing this was – how the heck did I end up there? OK, actually my first thought was, “AWESOME,” but it didn’t take too long after that for my brain to meander on over to “how the heck did I end up there?” Well, it turns out the Wiki-gods put a mention of the Prozack Turner song “The Ballad of Adriana Sage” on her page and used my RapReviews interview with Prozack from back in 2006 as a reference, forever linking me in Wiki-ality (word courtesy of Stephen Colbert) with Miss Sage!
Check out her Wikipedia page at the following link and scroll down to the references to check my mention. I’m reference number five.
Ballin PR founder Nicole Balin hit me up last week to get my opinion on promo CDs, anti-piracy drops, album streams, and attempting to keep an artist’s work off the internet while still getting it reviewed in publications that have three to four month lead times. During the interview I pointed out that artists should worry less about possible music piracy and more about what they send out being a true representation of their work. The feature has been published in two parts. Check it out!
I have two big items of note regarding this week’s Adam B Experience podcast. First, the show starts off with Skillz’s 2008 edition of “The Rap Up,” which has some really hilarious punchlines (one I’m guessing Kanye West won’t be too thrilled about!). Second, midway through the show I give all the details you need to enter “You Done F’ed Up Christmas – The Contest,” where three lucky winners will walk away with copies of Kats’ Katskills and Lee’s Meet Lee (hey, one of those winners could be you!).
You can stream or download the entire show at RapReviews.com.
Playlist
Skillz – The Rap Up 2008 Chase Davis – Want It Jake Lefco – Teeth Chatter Skila – No Rest For The Wicked PreZZure – Lost My Mind Kats – Here We Go Lee – Back 2 Love Urbalist – Play My Cards Silent Knight – Think Fast Vinnie Scullo – Digital Molly 2 Hungry Bros - Swerve SumKid – Ninjas and Flies pH10 – Bulldozin
A month or so ago I was at a show with former Artist Of The Week Deep of 2 Hungry Bros and he handed me a CD by Jav aka Rapmononov, recommending I give him a listen. The album turned out to be dope, which really shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. As a member of the AOK Collective Deep works with some of the best artists around, so clearly he knows what he’s doing when it comes to assessing talent. Of course, I wasn’t going to leave things at just a listen, I had to hit up Jav aka Rapmonanov for a feature. This week I caught up with the multitalented artist to find out more about the man behind the music, including everything from his inspirations, to why he feels his work will connect with people, to how a classical musician influenced his name.
Adam Bernard: Start me off with some basic background info. Where are you from and what where some of your influences growing up? Jav aka Rapmononov: I’m Puerto Rican, from the lower east side of Manhattan, and my music is indigenous to that area. I look at hood life honestly. My inspirations come from what people may call the golden era of Hip-Hop. I am also inspired by what we as up and coming artists do to change the game and where we take the music sonically. Do I believe my music is the next thing? I do. I believe in my music deeply and view it as a world one can enjoy as you cruise through the city with your iPods.
Adam Bernard: Rapmonanov sounds like a fire breathing Russian video game character... wait, that was Karnov. Regardless, tell me about your name and what it represents. Jav aka Rapmononov: My name is Javier, people call me Jav for short. I really couldn’t think of any other name to use because I wanted to be as real as possible. Being that I also make beats I named the producer side of me, which is my alter ego, Rapmononov after the classical musician Sergei Rachmaninoff. Now, being that my music ain’t “rach” (rock) it’s rap, I changed some letters around and came up with Rapmononov. Jav aka Rapmononov, the Sun of a Gun.
Adam Bernard: What aspects of yourself do you feel are most prevalent in your music? Jav aka Rapmononov: On Sun of a Gun I had to let out what I had in my brain. It was like I was purging. I’m a fly kind of dude, and I definitely think that shit comes off in the music. I like keeping the music current. Even if you get a sense of the golden era, it’s deliberate. The music is street. I do a lot of running around. You can definitely here that I got some sense, as well. One word I can use to describe the music is honest. The next album is being cooked up now and it is definitely glossier. I like that.
Adam Bernard: In what ways do you feel people will connect with you? Jav aka Rapmononov: The honesty aspect is major. I give you glimpses of my human frailty throughout the album and I think music should have that… but not too much. The next album definitely has less, but it’s more intense in other ways. I haven’t thought of the title yet, but let’s talk about Sun of a Gun. Note the "u" in Sun. That makes the definition the bringer of light. I try to demystify some of the bullshit we in the hood uphold, yet other times I bask in it. I’m human, but the ratio favors the positive.
Adam Bernard: Where does being famous rank on your "to-do" list? What's higher/lower? Jav aka Rapmononov: Fame is up there because ultimately I’m trying to get paid for what I love doing. I don’t think fame or money has to do anything with the quality of the music, though. An artist should be able to separate the two. Hollywood would be nice. I’m into movies big. I actually opened up a video editing company, CIRCA 675, and I’m about to shoot a few videos off the album.
Adam Bernard: I learned of you through Deep of 2 Hungry Bros. For those not lucky enough to know Deep, where might people be able to hear you? Jav aka Rapmononov: You can here me on the 2 Hungry Bros. first album, Frequent Flyers, and as far as my album goes, you can catch Sun of a Gun at every digital outlet as well as cdbaby.com. People can also visit me on MySpace and catch some of the new exclusives I put on there.
Adam Bernard: OK, so now that people know where they can find your work, take thirty seconds to sell the world your CD. Jav aka Rapmononov: The CD is hot. I love it. You need to pick up a copy. I get nothing but good feedback. I’m not the dude trying to harass you into purchasing my CD outside Fat Beats. I don’t need to hustle you. This is quality, magnetic, music. I love you all. Peace. I know that was a little less than thirty seconds, but you get the picture.
Jake Lefco makes some really amazing videos and his latest, for his song "Teeth Chatter," continues in that tradition. As an added bonus the clip features over half a dozen B-Listers in it, making it an instant Adam's World classic. Enjoy!
2009 is primed to be a heck of a year for me. I’m already planning a trip to LA (which I will chronicle here) and I’ve laid the groundwork to be able to take advantage of just about any opportunity that comes my way. As longtime readers know, however, no year can officially start without a look back at the year that was. I accomplished a lot in 2008, here are three of the biggest highlights.
Becoming an Editor at Beyond Race Magazine
During my seventh full year of magazine work I finally earned myself an editorial position and I did so with a publication that I truly believe in and that I’ve been with since its inception. As Urban Culture Editor of Beyond Race Magazine, a position I earned in mid-’08, I am able to both highlight the most recent work of the artists and celebs that are already in the limelight and provide a platform for the numerous talented emcees, singers, actors, actresses and personalities that are currently flying under the radar. I’ve always had a vision for what magazines should be like in the internet age and with this position at Beyond Race I’m finally able to being some of those ideas to life. For the upcoming Winter issue, which is due out in mid-January, I booked 14 stories, including both the front and back covers, and I wrote the back cover story myself (which is a fantastic read).
Becoming a Columnist at the Fairfield County Weekly
As a nearly lifelong resident of Fairfield County I’ve been reading the Weekly for seemingly ever. As soon as I graduated from college in 2000 I tried to get in with them, but no dice. Over the years I kept trying and just when I thought all hope was lost I received an email from their new Editor. He noted that he was a fan of Adam’s World and wanted to know if I could cover the local Hip-Hop scene for the paper. I jumped at the chance and my column, The B-Side, has been a huge success. The Christmas edition of The B-Side was syndicated across the entire state’s Weekly papers.
Getting a lot of Great Press
Whether it was being interviewed by Fairfield Magazine for my work in Hip-Hop, or sitting down with The New York Times, The Stamford Advocate and NY25’s Cool in Your Code for my work in blogging, my name ended up in a lot of prominent places in 2008. I also spoke at the AFA’s second annual Hip-Hop Summit, had a story linked to by The New York Times’ website, and was mocked by Gawker (hey, at least they know my name). I capped off the year by going back to Hofstra to speak to two media relations classes about how publicists can more effectively work with journalists.
All in all it was a really great 2008 and I know with continued hard work I’m going to build on all of this throughout 2009. Thank you all for your continued support and loyal readership, it means more to me than you can imagine.
B-Listers are a select group of artists that were featured in my Artist Of The Week series that ran every Monday from April of '06 to April of '11. All of these artists have two things in common; extreme talent, and a flight path far too under the radar for my liking. They took on the title of B-Listers as they embraced being featured by me, Adam B. Check out the AOTW Archives for all the interviews.
