Rapper's Delite Issue 01 MC Lyte

ISSUE 01: FALL 2011

Genesis and General Greetings

Rapper’s Delite Magazine Info@RappersDelite.com

EDIT and Bits

Editor in Chief Rocker Will Loiseau Senile Editor Drew Spence

BRAND Nu Beings Specialist/Manager Pedro Mojica Marketing, Public Relations Richera Jones Rapper’s Delite is created using Abobe Indesign CS5.5

Meaty Editor Griffin Avid Another turn as interns Abbey “notadike” Klondyke Chris “The Rod” Axelrod Xodus “Beat Master” Phoenix

Live Scribes Cee Brooke Sean Pen Shadow Box Starr J Scarpen

Thank you for taking the time to read Rapper’s Delite. We will explore the elements of Hip-Hop culture and provide artists with a resource and guide. We aim to educate, entertain and empower.

We are here to help you reach your highest potential. Since its origin in the Bronx- nearly four decades ago, Rap music has become an immense force, both culturally and economically.

Rapper’s Delite seeks to bridge the communication gap between emcees, producers, DJ’s and breakers.

We will pick the brains of established veterans, learn from newer artists and explore the four elements while we bring you the cutting edge of expressive entertainment. Welcome to our family!

-Will Loiseau, Editor In Chief

Read Dat! © Rapper’s Delite Magazine. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or resold without prior written consent of the publisher.

Rapper’s Delite recognizes all copyrights contained in this issue. Where possible we acknowledge the copyright holder. All contributions are submitted and accepted on the basis of a non-exclusive worldwide license to publish or to license others to do so unless otherwise agreed in advance in writing

The 4 elements

T

his issue is dedicated to the hustle of the independent artist.

You will see a common theme in all the interviews, where

meet cutting-edge

I ask about their approach to business. I hope these interviews

entertainment

inspire you to think about your own grind and truly question whether or not you are doing all you can do in pursuit of your dreams. Thank you for reading RD Mag.

EDO G. & Masta Ace Words by Will Loiseau

W

ill Loiseau: For anyone who might need a re-introduction to your history.

Who first influenced you to start your career in music?

Edo G: [Big Daddy] Kane, who would be one of my all time favorites. Rakim, The Fat Boys, The Juice Crew, BDP, KRS [One] and Run-DMC. The whole mid to late eighties movement kinda inspired my whole style.

Masta Ace: Pretty much the same. We was all coming up at around the same time. The early eighties was prime.

Hip-hop was being invented around that time. So, when the Fresh Fest tour went out, that was a major event for hip-hop to be going to huge arenas and performing. All of those acts on the tour were doing big things. Selling records and doing tours. All of those dudes made me wanna do it.

What inspires the direction that you choose to go in when you’re developing your concepts now? Is it a void that you see in the game or is it more of a need to expand upon your personal thoughts at the time?

Masta Ace: For me, it’s both. If I see a void or if I see something lacking in the game or if I see something that’s being overdone, that can give me fuel to give a commentary on the state of hip-hop. That’s kinda what I’ve been doing my whole career, analyzing the game and whatever was

Revisiting Vets

bothering me about it I would attack or approach it same way I did with the SlaughtaHouse album and gangsta rap. That’s the thing that’s always kinda fueled me.

Edo G: A lot of times ideas are constantly flowing through my head. Different things may spark different ideas. Sometimes with the music, I can hear a beat and it could just take me to that place.

Many artists have been getting their independent hustle on because it’s so much easier to put out music. The live show has always been big when an artist is promoting the music but it’s even more important now. What do you as artists look for when you go to a live performance? What deems an artist worthy of your respect on the stage?

Masta Ace: One of the things I look for is the energy coming from the artist. I’m a big energy guy. I came up watching Kane and Biz Markie jump around the stage and sweat and flail around doing all types of different dance moves and wildin out. I came up watching A Tribe Called Quest kill a show with mad energy, De La Soul. When I look at an artist now, I wanna see energy being brought to the

“

...Stage presence is the key. That’s where I started at. It began for me at talent shows and performing on stage before you could go in the studio and try and be the freshest and download Fruity Loop beats and do all of this other shit.

Ace got his start at a rap contest and talent shows. They are a lot of artists out there who might not be as nice lyrically but their stage show is raw. ...I seen Tech Nine perform and brother just goes in. His stage show’s amazing. A friend of mine was on tour with him and he blew me away. That’s the type of stuff that I look for and respect as an artist. When you can get up there and command a crowd and take it to that next level.” table. I wanna see artists that bring originality to the table.

Something that’s a lil’ different from them just standing there performing their records. Some routines and some things that change up that you don’t expect to happen.

We’ve all heard the record so when you’re doing it live to me it’s cool to be able to do something to twist it or to set the record up and bring it in. I like dramatics, I like artists that set records up in unexpected ways and I try to bring that to my shows. It’s cool to not always let the people know what record they’re about to hear. All of those are things that I look at and try to incorporate into my stage show.

Edo G: For me, stage presence is the key. That’s where I started at. It began for me at talent shows and performing on stage before you could go in the studio and try and be the freshest and download Fruity Loop beats and do all of this other shit. Ace got his start at a rap contest and talent shows. They are a lot of artists out there who might not be as nice lyrically but their stage show is raw. Look at a Doug E. Fresh. He is a consummate performer who commands the stage. Fast forward a bit…a couple of years ago I seen Tech Nine perform and brother just goes in. His stage show’s amazing. A friend of mine was on tour with him and he blew me away. That’s the type of stuff that I look for and respect as an artist. When you can get up there and command a crowd and take it to that next level.

You cats are known for being lyrical and taking pride in the words you put together and send out to the world. What are some of the techniques that you use to memorize your verses?

Edo G: Listening to the record. That helps to put in your head. It’s kinda easy for me once I know what I’m doing.

I just kinda hone in on it and the lyrics just kinda come.

Masta Ace: It’s changed over the years for me. It used to be having to listen to the record over and over again after I record it but lately I’ve been writing a lot while

driving. I may try to text rhymes into my cell phone while I’m driving which I know I really need to chill with. It’s an accident waiting to happen but I’ll be on the open highway at 60 mph texting with one hand and holding the wheel with the other. I know it’s dangerous but it forces me to remember what it is that I’m writing down. So, as I’m driving, I’m remembering the line that I just came up with and going on to the next line. [Editor’s note: This interview was conducted before texting while driving became illegal] Are you visualizing what you write before you write it or are you just flowing with what sounds good or whatever comes to mind?

Masta Ace: I’m flowing with what sounds good and what comes to my mind based on the mood that the beat is giving me. The beat usually dictates how I feel and where I wanna go lyrically with it. Sometimes what I’ll do is I’ll put the beat on and I’ll be mumbling a bunch of nonsense that don’t really even form real words but it’s giving me a feel for what the pattern of the rhyme is gonna be. Once I figure out what that pattern is gonna be then I try to fit words into that pattern.

How do you find beats? Are you always traveling looking for beats or are you into any production yourselves?

Edo G: I’m constantly getting beats from everywhere that I may travel. Kids may refer other producers. I’m always on the hunt and my ear is always open. I can’t really listen to everything that I get via Myspace. You never know when you may come across some fly shit but I really don’t have a lot of time.

Masta Ace: The same here. From just being out and about at hip-hop shows. There’s almost always somebody handing you a beat CD. Also, I get random emails from people saying that they have tracks that they want me to check out and I’m always open to hearing those beats as well. I’ll listen to beats from anybody, I don’t really care.

How can people get at you with beats?

Masta Ace: I set up an account with Sound Cloud, a website which allows producers to upload beats for me. I listen to about 20 or 30 tracks every month. If I like something then I tag it and might even write a message back and that’s how easy it is.

Tell the people what you’re giving em with your new projects.

Edo G: We’ve got a lot of good music. We really take our time to make sure we put out the best product. We’ll probably do about 40 songs and release the best 12. A lot of people don’t take time anymore to make an album. Some people brag about recording 72 songs in three weeks.

That doesn’t make it fresh because you did that.

It’s easy, we can go in and record a bunch of shit in a 24- 48 hour block but are we doing our best?

We wanted to take our time and make sure we put out the best product possible and I think that’s what we did.

Masta Ace: The reason we recorded that many songs is because as we were working on the record the sound of the record was changing.

We were coming up with better songs, better production and the songs that we recorded in the first year got knocked to the side and we started messing with new records. We eliminated records as we kept recording.

Tell us about the typical day in the life making a living as an independent recording artist. There isn’t the luxury of falling back on the major record label’s personnel and resources.

Masta Ace: For me, it’s a multi-faceted hustle.

There’s making records and touring with those records and making show money. Along with the

show money, you gotta get your merchandise hustle on. I make T-shirts myself. I burn mix CD’s at the crib. I got a 7 CD burner and I bring a stack of CD’s on the road with me. Then, there’s the feature hustle which is real lucrative for an artist like myself because I’ll get a couple of emails a month from people wanting to feature me on their records and wanting to pay me to spit a sixteen, a twenty-four or whatever it is. There’s also the licensing hustle which is getting records put into movies, video games and TV shows. I’ve been fortunate over the last couple of years to have a few. One of them I did with Ed was featured on The Boondocks cartoon. I had one of my records on The Wire and another on Entourage, a few video game appearances.

Most recently was the Guitar Hero game, so all of those different things are revenue streams. When you’re not a commercial artist you have to have more than one revenue stream.

Edo G: You definitely wear a lot of hats. I promote a lot of shows in Boston and have been doing that for the last 3 or 4 years. I got a foundation that I work with that caters to the inner city kids. I’m into movies as well. Rap by itself doesn’t pay the bills. There’s a million different ways to make money as an artist, you just have to get your hustle on.

What message do you guys wanna leave the people with?

Masta Ace: Check out the website: mastaace.com. We’ve got our tour dates and video content on there. MA DOOM with MF Doom coming soon.

Edo G: Go and cop the record. Arts & Entertainment and the iTunes exclusive release Extra Entertainment are available now. We’re gonna be on tour. We’ll be touring Europe, Canada and the states, so look for us.

Thank you guys for taking the time to chop it up with Rapper’s Delite!

C

SWOLLEN anadian

representatives

Mad

Child, Prevail and production

chief DJ Rob the Viking have expressed the energy of triumph and pain through their music. Their latest album Dagger Mouth,

deals

with

pain,

substance

dependency and the lessons learned while maturing in front of the bright lights and global audiences. We got a chance to speak with founding member Prevail about numerous subjects. Check it out.

Will Loiseau: Do you guys write together in the studio or do you swap ideas around and just write whenever you get to it?

Prevail: It works both ways with us. Sometimes Tre, Rob, Matt or me will get an idea and Rob will match the music with the mood. More often than not we’ll hear the music first and a theme will present itself or we’ll sit and write and try to bring a topic and then from there everybody usually goes off in their own directions to write and then come back to the table later on.

I notice that this album touches upon a lot of personal drama and triumphs as well. How long did it take for you to document this? Were you able to write on the fly or did you need some time to reflect and think about what you wanted to say on the album?

I think Swollen Members has always had a pretty steady pace in the studio in that we don’t really get

It’s a multi-faceted business these days and I think you have to be operating on many different levels and thinking way beyond just music and the old ideology of what record sales based income actually generates in real physical cash. You have to find new and fresh ways to approach making that same comfortable living pace that you set for yourself for your time and hard work. married to songs. When I say that, I mean that if an idea is not working we’re not afraid to walk away from it if it doesn’t feel right. Because of that work ethic and concept we try to challenge ourselves with different tempos, different producers, and production styles. I think that’s really helped to bring together a signature sound that we have and you can definitely hear that.

Who did you see or who did you hear that made you say to yourself that you would be able to make a living rapping?

develop someone else’s sound without even knowing it. I just try to leave all that alone and focus in on what we’re working on amongst ourselves. Tre Nyce has definitely been an inspiration for us in the studio.

What characteristics do you think make an ill emcee?

I like the linguistics, the word play of course, delivery as well but to me the mark of an ill emcee is someone who brings that entertainment value on stage and live. To me that’s what makes a well rounded emcee.

MEMBERS I grew up in the era where rappers were rocking stupid gold chains and stepping out of limos and all that.

Rappers were signed when I was coming up. They were all on major labels. I’d say the group that I really saw and I thought… damn this is actually a viable something was probably I’d have to say EPMD. They had that whole aspect of making dollars and getting paid but still having fun with the lifestyle. Back then it was all about having fun and I didn’t really anticipate being able to make a living off of it. Those were the cats that I’d have to say motivated me. Stezo, one of their backup dancers had his album Crazy Noise that was one of the first hip-hop records that I ever copped when I was younger so they were definitely an inspiration.

What emcees are you into right now?

Tre Nyce’s solo album is gonna be ridiculous. I know the other guys will probably feel differently but when we’re recording albums my outlets for music are pretty filtered. I don’t try to get too heavily influenced by other people in the same genre as what I’m doing. I try to keep it pure and uninfluenced because you can unconsciously

Who haven’t you collaborated with that you would like to in the future? Black Thought. Do you have any favorite cities you like hitting while you’re on tour?

I’ve gotta say that there’s a couple of spots that we’re looking forward to when we tour. Swollen’s been lucky that we’ve had a long history of being able to do shows in the states. We love the board cultures whether it’s surfing, skateboarding, or snowboarding. A lot of the action sports have been drawn into Swollen Members music, I think largely because of the energy. Places like Colorado are real good for us. L.A. is off the hook as always. They show us mad love. Salt Lake City…we’re good on the eastern seaboard in places like Vermont and Boston where people are doing the outdoor thing in the winter and riding to our shit. We definitely have some key markets and our idea is to be able to hit those key markets and work with the vibe and the buzz that we have going there to spread it out all over.

I became aware of you guys during the early Napster days where I used to be on the Internet downloading music all day. I downloaded one of your songs without having a clue of who you were and ever since then I’ve been listening. How do you like the Internet now that there’s less emphasis on major record labels and more on Indie’s,

downloads, Itunes and all that.

For a group like Swollen, it definitely helps to spread the word. I think we see the strength on the business side of things. Being able to stay a group that can tour and sell merchandise is a plus. We can get some licensing or exclusive songs on sound tracks and video game scores and what have you. If we can line those things up and add that to the revenue stream it’s a beautiful thing. Of course royalties are always a good way for an artist if you’re smart enough to own your own royalties…it’s a good way for an artist to keep some money in their pockets. That’s how we look at it. It’s a multi-faceted business these days and I think you have to be operating on many different levels and thinking way beyond just music and the old ideology of what record sales based income actually generates in real physical cash. You have to find new and fresh ways to approach making that same comfortable living pace that you set for yourself for your time and hard work.

How do you search for beats?

Usually the way we’ve been doing it is that cats have been hitting us up on Facebook and Myspace. Rob’s been real active with that making sure that he’s extending his ears toward other producer’s who are doing their thing and

hustling. We’ve done lots of collaborations, whether it’s projects or sixteen’s. Myspace.com has been the channel for that.

Anything you want to let people know about your next move?

We’ve been recording in the studio daily. The stockade is full and we’re letting loose some of the music. So, we’ve got music for ya’ll.

Thanks for talking with Rapper’s Delite and continued success.

TRICK DADDY

E

ver since creating a buzz with his appearance on Luke Campbell’s Uncle Luke album in ‘96, Trick Daddy has released eight solo albums and is working on his ninth tentatively titled: www.thug.com2. We got a chance to kick it with Da Mayor of Miami to find out what he’s been up to.

Will Loiseau: You’ve made a name and a living doing this for quite some time while a lot of other rappers have fallen within that period. What motivates you to continue in this music climate that can be difficult for so many?

Trick Daddy: I do it for the struggle. I do it for the thugs.

I don’t really need motivation aint much I can do. I’m a three time convicted felon.

Where’s your favorite place to write rhymes when you’re feeling creative?

I’m not really a rapper. A lot of my rhymes come from bad experiences and hard times so I don’t really have a favorite place to sit and write.

If I’m from out of town, name some spots that I should hit when I’m in Miami.

You gotta go by Chef Creole and get you some Haitian food. You gotta go to the strip clubs. We’ve got the nicest strip clubs and the baddest women.

What producer’s did you work with on the new album?

I got a track from 314 and the rest of the tracks are all in-house producers.

Who do you want to work with in the future that you haven’t worked with already?

I’d work with Mary J [Blige], Whitney [Houston], Eminem, AZ and [Ice] Cube.

Out of all the songs you’ve recorded during your career which one’s your favorite?

My favorite would probably be “Thug Holiday” What’s a song that you love listening to that you weren’t on?

“We Takin’ Over”…[Laughs] What have you been up to since the release of your last album?

It took me a year to get out of my last situation and into a better one. I’ve been molding my artists. Spending a lot of money but it’s gonna pay off in the end. I’ve just been doing me…doing my thug pimpin, aint nothing change.

I can’t say industry because I am the industry but it’s like when you get to a certain status…when you made a certain amount of money you should definitely start looking out for the profession that got you where you are. The big name producers, the big money record labels that made lots of money and got lots of recognition off of rap, r&b, country music and all other kinds of music, they’re treating the rappers like the NBA treats the basketball players Tell us what we can expect from this album.

You can expect some good music even if it’s hard to buy now days. No matter how big a lotta dudes claim they are in the music game and no matter how many records they can sell and how many records they can have on the radio back to back, if I won’t put your album in next year and play it then it wasn’t a classic.

Tell us about the autobiography book project you have with MTV Books.

I have a book called The Magic City: The Trials of a Native Son. It’s really talking about Miami and me and hopefully we can film a real Miami movie. We haven’t had one of those. They already filmed The Fast and the Furious and Bad Boys down here but that aint Miami.

You’re running your own label independently now. Tell us about that part of your journey.

The music industry isn’t really going through a transition. To cut a long story short. People wanna eat. That’s the bottom line. When you dealing with the majors through an indie, what you have is a conflict of interest because if you get bigger than the indie then that’s a problem. Now they have a new game where they say: “We spend a million dollars on an artist and the artist blows up and makes 5 million through endorsements, and other business ventures, invests the money and does the right thing.” Now the majors are like well we spent a million and we only got 2 million back. Let’s try and spend $500,000 and go cheaper with the Internet route. That doesn’t work with everybody. Real fans don’t get scammed.

They’re a lot of people that may fall for gimmicks but they only work once. So, now there is no brand.

Now, next year there will be another hot guy that’s supposed to be the guy that’ll be around a long time.

So when you turn on the radio now, you get tired of your everyday local station because you hear those

fifteen records all day and twelve of em’ get on your nerves. So, that’s what state music is in.

Are there any new artist’s out there that’s catching your ear right now?

Yeah, I like Ice “Billion” Berg and Fella they the Dunk Riders.

They’re my group but they’re a good group. I like Billy Blue and what he’s doing. The Bad Guy…and that’s as far as I would go. I don’t wanna fall for a scam either. Every time you turn around there’s this guy that’s supposed to be that guy and then you be like…where he is now? When I look back at my career, I was never that one that was known to be that guy. I never was the one with the most highly anticipated album. I always say that I live along my means. I never got too big headed. I stand straight and that’s probably why I lasted so long. I know it may have hurt me money wise. Keeping it real just ain’t for some parts of business. Business is business.

Do you think that a lot of what affects these other artists that don’t make it is the industry or just them trying to live up to something that they’re really not?

I can’t say industry because I am the industry but it’s like when you get to a certain status…when you made a certain amount of money you should definitely start looking out for the profession that got you where you are. The big name producers, the big money record labels that made lots of money and got lots of recognition off of rap, r&b, country music and all other kinds of music, they’re treating the rappers like the NBA treats the basketball players and like the NFL treats the football players. What have you done for me lately? No, we’re not working together…you work for me. If we would just work together the music would last.

You keep a lot of your art in house but is there a place where inspiring artists can submit music?

They can send material to: Trickdaddybeats@gmail.com, 305bear@gmail.com What do you want your fans to know?

I’m independent so I need all the support from the fans who appreciate real music.

Thanks for chopping it up with Rapper’s Delite!

M-Audio Venom

Canibus & Keith Murray (The Undergods) Words by Will Loiseau and Scarpen

Will Loiseau: Explain a little about the techniques that you use to formulate your rhymes.

Canibus: That’s difficult sometimes because some people wanna know specifics and details about how the compositions are written or some of the theory and fundamentals of the writing of verses and how we write our rhymes but the easiest example of that is the releases that we put out. We came together and put The Undergods

out but before that you had records like Enigma and “Intellectual Violence”, “1000 Bars”. The records that we gave to the fans can say more about some of the styles and where we can take it better than just a description of it. Few people gonna be able to really visualize how the rhymes manifest from an emotion to a thought to actions, words and then reality.

Keith Murray: Nowadays, I feel that niggas don’t really

study albums and lyrics like that no more because I’ll have niggas walk up to me in the streets that recite my rhymes. I made Enigma because I knew that niggas wouldn’t understand it. It was just that era in hip-hop where niggas was really listening and studying rhymes. I don’t really feel that niggas is really studying rhymes like that nowadays.

Canibus: Yeah, they not studying it like that because if they was then it would be a difference. The real core heads, the ones who know…we’re not talking about them because they’re already ready to make a change and make and difference. We’re talking about the ones that sit there and debate the purpose of our style.

You two decided to come together.

There are also other solo artists regarded as highly lyrical uniting.

Do you see cats coming together to create group albums as the start of a trend?

Canibus: I hope so. I hope it’s a trend because there’s a deeper spiritual meaning behind artists rocking together than just pressing it up to make a CD or put on a thumb drive or to upload it or download it. There’s more to it than that. The Masta Ace and Edo. G track that they shot the video for is crazy.

Keith Murray: about that.

I was just thinking

Canibus: When you look at the video and you listening to the rhymes, you absorb the whole record and where they’re going with it thematically and then everything else that’s going on in hip-hop. Even though they had explosive marketing tools, there’s more to it than that still because of their rhymes. People are not studying the rhymes like that.

If they was then they would really see the impact that these artists is putting down. They would see it and those records would be the ones that you would want to hear over and over again.

So you don’t have a different approach coming into a collaboration album as you do when doing you own solo album?

Canibus: Nah, me and Murray was sparring against the opposite team like back to back, shoulder to shoulder going

at some of the boundaries that are set up in hip-hop.

Keith Murray: I didn’t change my style. It made me enhance and get on my square more with what I originally was doing.

Canibus: Me too.

How do you feel about the transition from going through all the label stuff and now you guys are independent. What’s the biggest asset in doing it that way?

Keith Murray: I’m on that major shit. Independent can’t hold me. I’d have to sell my music myself if I’m independent. I wasn’t truly independent. I went to a label Koch which I felt was a bad business move. I need that major look, the money and the props. As an artist I can be seen and more people that love me can see me and I can reap the benefits of my intellectual property. If I’m going independent I’d have to sell my music and make a million or two million a year or in eight months by selling hand to hand and putting all my fans on the same page. Independent would only be rewarding for me if it were like that.

What do you think is the direction that hip-hop is moving in right now?

Keith Murray: The unknown regions in the thoughts of man. There’s hip-hop that we don’t even understand that’s out. Foreign countries got hip-hop and I don’t know what they’re saying but I feel that beat. I know it comes from the Bronx.

Canibus: From the soul.

Keith Murray: They got some movie I can’t remember right now where Martians is leaning on the car listening to hip-hop. It’s everywhere. They’re intelligent life forms in the universe that’s already into hip-hop that we don’t even know about.

Canibus: And they came back out with “V” and many are too young to remember what all that is…Haha! Hip-hop was always built to grow the culture and communicate.

This is the news.

Keith Murray: That can infiltrate all walks of life. You got muthafucka’s that now make millions off of it that still can’t stand it till this day.

Canibus: And can’t rhyme or perform one of the elements at an elite standard. That doesn’t mean that they can’t participate in it.

You guys pride yourselves on coming with lyrical

intensity. What keeps you inspired to write at a high level? Not everyone is built to understand it, a lot of people are not really checking for deep lyrics like that. You have plenty of people who are but you know you’re dealing with finicky fans.

Keith Murray: We’re writers. A lot of dudes now making records are rappers. So, they get in it to make a record to make money. We’re writers who tell stories and we’re giving our thoughts in a poetic form.

Canibus: Even if you’re the best, there’s somebody still watching you. Someone’s still watching over you like… damn you said them words like that? Something’s paying attention to you whether you write a lazy sixteen or you write a brolic thirty-two. Something is still looking at you like: “You know you could’ve done fifty or a hundred.” So, when you get to the level that we rhyme at…we do this to grow the culture. Now, it’s a regular thing for somebody to come along and say they spit fifty bars or they spit a hundred bars.

Keith Murray: Yo! I was at this club out in Long Island [NY] and some kid came up to me and said: “Yo, I spit.”

I said alright go ahead, let me hear something. He said, “Yo, I got the mac in the trunk.” There was like three niggas. I said, “Yo, go get the mac right now and show me!” He couldn’t show me. These niggas started fighting!

I said, “See what you started?”

Canibus: (Laughs.)

Keith Murray: Niggas went crazy out there! Niggas is buggin.

Scarpen: How can a rapper write an infinite verse where every detail just connects one with the other?

Keith Murray: We do that every single time we rhyme.

Canibus: I know Berklee [College of Music] offers some theory classes. I was looking into that myself. I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to do it through an establishment kind of thing. I’ve been working on theories. Me and Murray work on our infinite rhymes. It’s new theory so it’s difficult for us to talk about how to do it.

Keith Murray: You know how I did it? I think that a record like “Rapper’s Delight 2” or “The Most Beautifullest Thing in This World” is gonna live forever.

If you had to record a dream album, what producer’s would you have on it?

Canibus: I think the fans would have to choose that.

Canibus: You still can!

Keith Murray: I can still do it, you’re right. Man, you just re-kindled the thought in my mind!

Canibus: The fans can expect a real concentrated vacuum of rhymes. There are tracks floating around everywhere.

Keith Murray: Every word is a thought. Every phrase is a line. Every line is a paragraph. Every paragraph is a song of the illest shit. You can expect a lot of word play, four syllable words, scientifical words, thought provoking ideas that you have to break it down because it’s a lot of vocabulary. Follow us online and catch us in a town near you.

Appreciate the time fellas.

Rapper’s Delite thanks you.

Keith Murray: My Keith Murray dream album? I think about that all the time, man. That’s a hard question to answer. I don’t even know. It could be a no name producer that got a beat and I could be like, “That shit’s so prominent.” I’d go to Erick Sermon and Dr. Dre but…I don’t know.

How do cats get at ya’ll with beats?

Keith Murray: It could be www.myspace.com/ keithmurray, www.myspace.com/canibus, www. myspace.com/showemwhatcrazyis.

Canibus: More than anything, there’s more energy in working with somebody that seeks you out and particularly wants to work with you. A producer who’s like: “I got the beat for you!” Not just making it up like a sociopath or something but somebody who really had taken the timeout to craft a record for you or put their verse down and then contact you in order to complete it What can fans expect from In Gods We Trust, Crush Microphones to Dust?

Keith Murray: Damn…you fucked me up with that dream question man because I had Erick Sermon and Dr. Dre. I had em’ out in Cali and I ain’t do it!

Delite now spins a feature on an Rapper’s up-and-coming talent. Get your first look and listen early as we break on the ‘cat coming round the corner’. He’s called GDP and we called him to chit chat and chop. Yo. words by Will Loiseau

I

s making music what you always wanted to do?

Yes, ever since a pup.

When did you tell yourself that you could pursue this seriously?

I always knew it was what I wanted but I started making serious efforts towards getting myself out there, recording more frequently, playing shows, shit like that probably late 2005 and I’ve been grinding ever since. Still attempting to make a living…

Did you make a conscious effort to select busy sounding production that some emcees might consider challenging? If anything it is a subconscious effort. I am picky when it comes to beat selection, you have to be, but I don’t think there is any specific production style that

GDP

appeals to me I like all kinds of songs. As long as the beat makes me feel that certain way I roll with it. I remember when me and Pistol sat down in the Bronx to start making this record I played him all the beats I was going to use and he said “You’re going to rap over this?”

What were some of your hobbies as a kid growing up? I started going to punk shows when I was 10 years old, skateboarding, writing, rhyming, I’ve played drums in a bunch of bands, most recently one called Fleshtemple. My hobbies haven’t really changed I suppose.

Name your three favorite albums from any genre.

Why do these appeal to you? I don’t know if I really have a favorite album or a favorite band or whatever

but here goes ...in no particular order..

1. Big L The Big Picture – This record came out when I was in middle school and it was like everything I wanted out of an emcee right then and there. L was and still is a huge influence.

2. Converge Jane Doe – Probably around the same time “Big Picture” dropped, this record opened my eyes to a world of aggressive music that I hadn’t quite wrapped my head around up until that point.

3. Woody Gutherie The Early Years – I probably wouldn’t have wrote “Useless Eaters” if my dad didn’t leave this cassette in the car many moons ago. Woody is the truth.

Do beats dictate your rhyme patterns or do you look for beats to complement your rhymes?

There’s no real formula, every songs different. Sometimes the beat writes the song for me, sometimes I know what I want and I hold out until I hear the right beat. I’m gonna drop a beat tape after “Useless Eaters” comes out but I don’t think I’ll be rapping over any of it.

Clownin with Champagne.

GDP at his best... er...worst..

What do you enjoy most about performing in front of live crowds? I get to do, say, act however the fuck I want and people who don’t necessarily agree with everything I’m saying co-sign it by default of them being in the same room as what’s going on. It is a very special privilege that I take advantage of whenever possible.

How much time do you invest in preparing your stage show? I got my own PA rig so I try to practice when possible. When I’m playing new songs, I’ll rehearse them in the days leading up the show, I tour and play out quite a bit so it’s like I’m always practicing for the next one.

Can you tell us a little bit about your wildest tour stop to date? There’s been a lot, some I can’t get into for varying legal reasons but a recent one that comes to mind is on me and Pistol’s last outing (Manifest Density Tour) our Colorado show fell through so someone that had contacted me on Facebook weeks before set us up a very last minute house party outside of Boulder. The people whose house it was didn’t quite know what they were getting into and kept telling us to turn our music down.

I don’t think we made it through the second song before my dude that set the show up lost it on the kids who’s house it was and threatened to beat the shit out of everyone there. Madness ensued and in fear of cops being called and his friend, who was on parole, getting into trouble we managed to talk him into leaving. He was finishing his beer as we followed his car back to his trailer park home and he was swerving and hitting curbs harder than anyone I’ve ever seen driving. Back at home he and his

Comedy and Caskets girl got into an argument over some people doing coke in the kitchen so me and Pistol were left to leave and sleep at some coked up dudes grandparents house before our 10 hour drive to Des Moines, Iowa where we performed at a biker bar. Tony Bel if you are reading this you are my fucking brother!!

What can we expect from you in the future?

A lot of new music. Bunch of new collabos, I’m going to drop a freestyle mixtape shortly after “Useless Eaters”, some beats produced by yours truly. I’m going to make a bunch of cool songs before we all get radiation poisoning.

God speed.

Thanks for checkin in with us.

Steez

other classmates. It wasn’t that uncommon to even catch a beatdown like you stole something if you were a repeat offender. The science behind that was that you were perceived to be eating off of someone else’s style plate.

”Those are some sick Nikes man!” I smile back in appreciation of the acknowledgment but before I can reply he derails the whole situation and asks ”Where did you get those?” Was this guy serious? Small talk on the streets is one thing but this question seemed a bit too personal and somewhat intrusive coming from a random stranger.

You see, when I was growing up I used to always keep tabs on fashion by observing the older kids who got complimented for what they wore. Head nods of agreement from the guys and special attention from the cutest girls were rewards for your originality.

Some of our favorite music producers base their style around sampling records. It’s the ones who dig the dustiest, most obscure records and freak them the best to make people say “Why didn’t I come up with that?” that are given the most respect amongst their peers. It’s an unspoken rule that you don’t chop the same record the same way that another producer did before. -Unless you’re paying homage, it shows a lack of creativity and skill when a rapper spits the same line that someone else did before.

You’d be hard pressed to find a gifted artist who doesn’t crave the rush of shopping in another city or country before a show or event and finding some next shit. Much has changed in a short amount of time. The Internet and the proliferation of mobile technology have made a lot of things more accessible and created more acceptance among the mainstream in regards to looking and sounding like someone else. (That’s all the more reason why a grown-ass man shouldn’t be asking me where I shop!) I can understand adapting with the times or getting left behind but in this instance its old school rules!

This was especially true if you were the first to wear something and knew how to model it with your own swag.

It was sort of like an iller way of coming up with the answer to that question that no one else was able to solve in class. With fashion you received style points that helped to build your image like grades did toward your class grade average. However, I’ve also watched kids get ripped to pieces like wrapping paper on Christmas by class clowns who noticed them sharing the same wardrobe selections of

I placed my beer on the counter, turned back to the gentleman, smiled and politely told him the truth. I bought them out of state at some store whose name I couldn’t remember (and wouldn’t share if I did.) I thanked him for asking, paid for my goods and kept it moving. What are the chances of us wearing the same kicks with the same sense of overall style (appearance?) Slim to none…but most of the thrill is in the hunt.

See you in the Box next issue

Taking a BITE out of your Style Words by Shadowbox

I

’m standing online at 7-eleven waiting to pay for a six pack of beer and some peppermint chewing gum when this lanky dude holding bags of chips in his hands comes up behind me and looks down at my footwear. He cheeses before saying

The Observation of a Frustrated Lyricist Words by StarRJ

I

f you can do anything else in the world other than rap: THEN DO THAT. The music world doesn’t need any more excessively ignorant, lame bullshit.

The experience of listening to some of what I hear is the equivalent to my eardrums being raped with a drilling rig.

The artist of the past who left me a plethora of music that I loved has only made record executives and newer artists put out a plethora of music I loathe.

Providing jobs and feeding your families in turbulent times is one thing. Portraying a lavish image and continually feeding on to the decay of human civilization is another.

Scavengers feed off of the remains of the once prominent species. Child nursery rhymes have replaced the creativity and impact of Eric.B & Rakim’s Paid in Full album.

My musical odyssey has left me puzzled and in disbelief. Has the evolutionary button been set on rewind??? Are we communicating in a language that mirrors the daily conversations of primitive man and woman??? Is this torch that the legendary artist of the

past kept passing down only a thing of legend or was it extinguished years ago???.

As I have rapidly become an analog player in a digital world and have seen my artform desecrated over and over again on a daily basis, all I can leave you with is “I have zero patience for this shit.”

StarRJ’s debut EP, Fareign Friday, available now www.starrjmusic.tumblr.com

Producer’s Corner with

Naughty by Nature’s

Kay Gee

Words by Will Loiseau

Delite sat down and kicked it with Rapper’s the man behind your best loved summer anthem. After you say Hip Hop Hooray, you should be asking Hip Hop Hoo-, I mean Who? We get you the answers.

W

hat have you been up to?

I just stayed home in the lab. Developed Jaheim and have been producing his record from day one and working on a few new artists that I have coming out soon. I also have some commercials and music for films and different things.

I’ve always been a homebody really. I’ve got three kids.

My eighteen year old son was born in ‘93 the year “HipHop Hooray” came out. I had two younger kids and had a chance to watch them grow up so I was able to stay at home a little more and just stay busy in the studio.

What do you feel is the biggest difference between making an R&B track and a hip-hop track? There seems to be a sort of unification between the two because now days you’ve got hip hop cats singing on records and producers will make hip-hop tracks for R&B singers that are not really R&B tracks.

I think the only thing that probably makes the two really different is that in R&B you can make a ballad that’s real musical. Hip-hop don’t make ballads. When I say ballads I mean like Marvin Gaye “Let’s Get it On” and stuff like that. Then again at the same time you can take The Isley Brothers ballad “Between the Sheets” and make a Biggie record. So, there’s a difference but then again on the other hand there isn’t really a difference because most of the hiphop records are samples from R&B records. They just tend to not be ballads most of the time. I think that’s the main difference between the two.

As far as sampling is concerned, a lot of your big hits have been based of off popular samples. How often

do you go record shopping and what do you look for in a sample? Are you looking for something in particular or something that just captures your ear on impulse?

I listen for everything. It’s always been the musical stuff and like you said a lot of our bigger records have come from samples. “O.P.P.” came from Jackson 5’s “ABC” and “Hip- Hop Hooray” was Isley Brothers’ “Make Me Say It Again Girl”. Those records were all musical records and that’s what I really listen to. Not too much any more but starting off I’ve always been a big time record shopper.

At one time some of my colleagues got a little upset with me because I went out to City Island and there’s a spot that a lot of the guys from Uptown [NYC] used to record shop at. Showbiz was up there a lot, you had Lord Finnese up there, Diamond D, Buckwild and all of them used to record shop up there. I actually went in there and bought the whole record store out. I bought all of the soul, jazz and rock records and people were pissed [Laughter erupts]. That’s how heavy I’m into it. All of us as diggers, everybody that’s digging, we go hard with it. It switched up a little bit now because some stuff you can find online but there’s nothing like getting dirty and going into them dusty basements and finding these thrift shops. Me personally being on the road checking into a city, the first thing I do, I used to just go into the hotel room and pick up a phone book and look for record stores.

“If

you look at the history either today’s music or back in the earlier days, all of the big records were always uptempo party records. Records that you can hear when you wake up in the morning and you’re getting ready for work. You can hear it on the radio when you’re getting dressed, when you get in the car on your way to work, when you get off of work you can hear it playing in the car, when you get home from work and you’re getting dressed for the club and when you go in the club you can hear that record playing. That’s when you know you’ve got a hit.

“

What about the Maschine?

I checked it out but it’s hardware. I just feel like once I moved into software, I didn’t want to go back into the hardware setup because it’s a lot more remote. I can move around with a laptop and I can get a lot of stuff done.

I didn’t want to be stuck into having to use the hardware.

Although it looks like a good machine I didn’t want to use the hardware. I also use Kontact. I like all of Native Instruments stuff. I use Stylus, Trilogy. There are a couple of pieces that I use.

Over the years, the anthem has been your production trademark. Since your absence from group touring has there been any songs that you’ve heard on the radio or whatever that have made you say…”I wish I would’ve came up with that”?

Yeah, one that comes straight to mind is the production from T.I.’s “Live your Life”, 50 Cent’s “In the Club”. There’s a bunch of records out there that I really like but those two come to mind.

Who haven’t you worked with that you would like to work with in the future?

I’ve worked with Nas and put him on a Jaheim remix but I haven’t worked with him as far as a record on his own album. I’ve always been a big fan of Nas and that’s probably one of the last people that I’ve wanted to do something with and still haven’t had the chance to.

A lot of artists seem to be content with completing one or two worthy singles for an album. You guys seem to aim higher. Throughout your recording career what has been the deciding factor on what gets put out first?

What are your favorite tools when you’re in the studio?

Back in the days I used to use the MPC-60. I started on the MPC. It went from the 60 to the MPC-62 and then I moved on to the MPC- 3000. I love the MPC. Now, with Protools and Logic out there in the computerized world, I moved into using Protools and Logic. I kinda fazed out the MPC now which I once said to myself I would never do. I still got it and it’s still integrated in my setup but I don’t use it really. It’s just there. I use it as a trigger machine more than anything.

It’s always been us. We’ve always decided what records we wanted to put out. When you’re signed to a record company they have the final decision. I guess at the end of the day we were thinking on the same plane because we never had too much of a problem. We always wanted to put out records that we felt like were across the board big records and that’s all that’s in the record companies mind. Sometimes artists are scared or don’t want to put those records out. They record them but they don’t wanna put them out and our thing is it’s not like we tried to make certain records or certain styles of records. When we first came out you would hear people say: “That’s a pop record”. Pop means popular but it’s not like you trying to make a commercial record.

Do you use any VST’s?

I love Battery by Native Instruments. Battery is crazy man! It’s the closest thing to an MPC. A lot of people use Logic. My man No I.D. uses Logic and he put me up on Guru which is close to using an MPC too but when I messed around with it I didn’t love it like I did Battery.

We weren’t hanging around any other crowd. We were straight out the hood and we just made feel good records and they just happened to be universal records. It’s something that we went with and it felt natural to us. We came into the game to make a mark and we didn’t want to half step. You’re either in it or you’re in the way. Why

are good. This is straight up our alley because we’ve been doing this especially on the Internet and hosting our own sites and dealing with our fans directly. It’s also an advantage for us because even though we’ve always been signed to the record companies we’ve always been with independent record companies. Even the record companies that we were on had a different frame of mind than the majors. Even though Tommy Boy records had a lot of successful artists they always thought, worked and operated like an indie. There process was different from the majors so we learned from them. make a great record and let it sit on the shelf. I’m not gonna say we got slack but our industry peers at the time didn’t say it in our faces but it’s been said that we made commercial records or were a commercial group. We weren’t trying to make records for no certain audience.

Making party records was natural for us and that tends to be universal. If you look at the history either today’s music or back in the earlier days, all of the big records were always uptempo party records. Records that you can hear when you wake up in the morning and you’re getting ready for work. You can hear it on the radio when you’re getting dressed, when you get in the car on your way to work, when you get off of work you can hear it playing in the car, when you get home from work and you’re getting dressed for the club and when you go in the club you can hear that record playing. That’s when you know you’ve got a hit.

When we started out you weren’t able to just jump out there. You had to perform out there. The only way that you didn’t get booed was if you knew how to perform and rock the crowd. That’s how we perfected our craft.

We studied Run DMC and went and saw them perform a bunch of times and how their energy was and the way they ripped shows. We brought that not only to our shows but also to our record making process. Whenever jumping out and performing in front of audiences without any records you had to rock the crowd.

How do you feel you’ve been able to adapt to the changes in the music business over the last decade? Do you think you have an advantage being independent?

The independent label is the powerhouse now and I think we’ve adapted well because from an artists stance you have to be able to do things independent from a record company. You have to build your own connects and have the know it all to deal with the industry, press, radio stations, promoters, online business and we’ve been managing our sites since day one. We also ran our own merchandising and that was before Naughty by Nature when we were New Style we use to walk around and sell t-shirts at our shows and we didn’t have a deal yet. This was in the eighties and early nineties. Groups like us and people that understand that the times are changing

What’s the song that you’ve had the most fun recording in the studio and which one’s are the best to perform live? In the studio, the song that pops in my head is “Feel Me Flow” was a lot of fun to record. That record has a crowd in the background all the way throughout the song. That was on our third album so we didn’t have to deal with the sophomore jinx. There was no pressure on us because the first two albums were successful. It was all about having fun and making a record. Performing wise it’s “Hip- Hop Hooray”. That’s that universal record that I don’t care what or where we at. That record came out in 93’ but kids that were born in 2000 know that record. Even in some of the new records that are out now they incorporating it in their records so they won’t let that record die so it’s great for us.

The title of this album tells us what to expect. Do you have any outside production or guest appearances on this one?

We have other people that produced on the record but we don’t have any outside artists. There are a bunch of unknown artists that people are working with or working on but that might change. If you look at the history of us as a group or even my outside stuff when I’ve worked with Zhane, Next or Jaheim, it’s not like we didn’t want to but we never really built our career off of special guests or having to make records with other people. I think that especially now more than before I think a lot of people kinda look at: Why should I make a record with Naughty by Nature and we’ve dealt with that. We’ve reached out to a couple of people before and it’s never happened. It is what is and that’s fine. Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion.

That’s why I feel like I don’t need to make records with a bunch of people.

In closing is their any thing that you want to leave the people with?

I just wanna say thanks to everybody for supporting us and allowing us to be an outlet to the world.

Thanks to the fans, press, radio stations, DJ’s, Rapper’s Delite and Producer’s Edge. We make music for fun and it’s a job but it’s something that we love to do. There’s nothing better than doing something that you love to do and getting paid for it. It’s a great feeling to have people respect and like your work.

Kay Gee, thank you for taking the time to speak with Rapper’s Delite.

The game done changed.

Rap was more than just a genre of music. It reflected a culture, a state of being, a way of life in fact. Somewhere along the way the culture grew and things got watered down. Enter Hip Hop. The way we walk, talk, act, and dress. All derived from the music we were raised on. The shit Sanaa and Taye Diggs were talking bout in Brown Sugar. Some say its dead. I say its alive and moving.

The documentation of that is evident with Smokestack Records LLC. Whether its videos with the artists that represent the true form of the culture such as Grafh, Joe Budden, and Scram Jones, or their freelance work with MTV Rap Fix and artist like Camron, French Montana, and Meek Millz, This team is dedicated to providing the valuable insight to the Hip Hop world that, to quote Juelz, Is what the game’s been missing. Not only is the focus on established artists, through the lenses of Pace Media this team brings a Smokeshop webisode series that documents the parties, fashion and other aspects of this beautiful Hip Hop culture that are happening daily. Of the 19 episodes available we’ve been able to sit in studio recording sessions, mingle with up and coming artists, and get behind the rope access of some of the culture’s big events. Hip Hop ain’t dead, you just need to know where to find it, and Smokestack has it locked in the scope, they aint just blowing smoke. By, James Howe

MC Lyte Over the years, MC Lyte has become more than just one of the best female emcees

to ever hold it down. We got a chance to chop it up and among other things she explains her winning creative process, what she’s been up to and her continuous appreciation for the love she still receives from today’s teens.

Words by Will Loiseau

W

ill Loiseau: What does Brooklyn mean to you and how has its environment influenced your style?

MC Lyte: Brooklyn means curry goat, Brooklyn means the finest beef patties and coco bread, Brooklyn means home, trees and hard ass concrete, skellys and stickball, tag, run and catch. It’s everything that raised me.

It’s not easy for many to sustain such a consistent career like you have. What do you think are the main reasons that you’ve been able to maintain for this long? I never had a gimmick. This is what allows me to still maintain as an emcee and people not look at me like I’m cross-eyed. It’s just me being able to be me. In the midst of it all there’s no gimmick that I have to put down or come at it another way. That outfit that I was wearing now has to be changed because of… That’s on the artistic side. As for me spiritually, maintaining in the business is just that I have an insatiable need to play this game. In playing the game, it doesn’t matter how many times I fall and scrap my knee or the skin may come off of my elbow but I’m still gonna pick my ass back up and I will play the game because I love to play it. That’s it.

You’ve recorded an impressive body of music. What’s the best song you’ve ever written?

Oh boy! Probably the best rhyme I’ve ever written has never been heard. I think I always want to elevate so I’m never quite satisfied. I’m always pushing to make it that much hotter. I’m an emcee’s mc so I want to make sure that I can impress an emcee.

When you write songs do you ever write a song and arrange it for a particular setting. For example, I’m gonna do this one at a show or I want the listener to really get an experience when they’re listening through the headphones riding the train or bus or I’m writing this and I want people to enjoy this at a party or whatever?

Absolutely! I think that’s in just choosing the music. It’s like okay, I really like this track but what does it mean at the end of the day. Can I do this in a stadium or is this like a small S.O.B.’s situation in NYC. I think it’s the music that sort of for me dictates how small or large that audience will be in hearing it. I’m clear as to who Wu- Tang makes music for. I’m also clear as to who Kanye [West] makes music for. It’s not to say one is better or worse than the other. It’s just they know who they’re trying to capture and I think it’s evident in the music so when you ask me that… absolutely when I hear the music I think about who it is that I wanna affect, how do I want to leave them, what type of venues I want to play. What song do I want this played in between like after and before what other artists. I take all of those things in to consideration.

Who is or who are some of the most creative producers that you’ve worked with and who would you want to work with in the future?

I would definitely have to say the Neptunes are extremely creative. I probably was their first release right before they did “Superthug” with N.O.R.E. in ’97. They did four songs for me. On those songs they were very instrumental in the flow and in the hooks. They produce a song and that’s what I like most is one who can get involved in the song-making process of it and not just the beat. You have producers that go “I got a hot beat!” but then what? I admire that about them and I think Jermaine Dupri is the same way. Honestly, I think it’s evident when we look at who the major record labels go to for tracks. It’s those producers that are gonna take the extra step and go the extra mile to make sure that the song defines them as well.

I’ve heard producers say “Yeah, I gave that beat to so and so but he aint really do it justice.” Well, whose fault is that?

You should have challenged him! The producer should be part of a team that’s looking to make the hottest record that they can possibly make. Sometimes I think producers get caught up in competing against one another on a record.

Like, “They did that record but my joints gonna be hotter on

that record.” It’s like no… it’s a cohesive situation here.

If there are three hot songs on a record because one producer did those songs, that doesn’t mean that joint is gonna sell. Nobody will reap any benefits so it’s better if the whole album is tight as opposed to just a few songs.

What would you like to see more of as far as today’s lyrics? What I’d like to see more of doesn’t really surround the topic of lyrics it’s more so radio programming and record label executives and creating some sort of balance for people. I get fed because I listen to satellite radio so I’m able to listen to different types of DJ’s that bring style differently. With radio it can sometimes be difficult because they’ve got this playlist that they work from and you’re hearing the same stuff all the time. That’s what I would like to see different. Lyrics…everybody’s bringing a totally different lyrical style, lyrical content. Some rap about love, some rap about hate, some rap about war.

What emcees have caught your attention recently?

I like Mayday, a female emcee out of Detroit. She did a whole album to Sade samples and I thought that was a real hot record. I like Bishop [Lamont] and most of the things that he says. The song “Grow Up”, you know calling dudes out on how they got fresh cars but still staying at they mama’s houses. [Laughter] I think he has a comical way about him but still gets a message across. I like when an emcee is saying something. I like when I can feel at the end of the record that I know who you are and I have an opinion or you said something that made me think. Just more than the regular boasting about 50 inch rims or whatever. I like that song “You’re a Jerk” [New Boyz]. I like it because it’s so simple. Simplicity at it’s best. I like Saigon. I like Jay-Z, Nas, Common, Kanye.

I’m really feeling Pusha T and Malice. You know who I really enjoy and I don’t think we ever get enough of but I think it’s purposely done so that we can always feel like

“Honestly, I think it’s evident when we look at who the major record labels go to for tracks. It’s those producers that are gonna take the extra step and go the extra mile to make sure that the song defines them as well.”

Everybody raps about whatever they wanna talk about.

we want more from him is… Andre 3000.

What do you feel about Autotune? Would you use it?

I used it on a couple of songs that I did while I was in Atlanta and it sounded really good. We have enough subgenres within hip-hop that it doesn’t really matter. To me it just breathes a breath of more life into the culture. So, it took a turn. Parliament Funkadelic did that to the music a long time ago. Prince came in with his own sound and then came Shelia E. and Sheena Easton and it was a whole movement. So, it’s not uncommon.

Who do you listen to for inspiration other than hiphop artists?

For inspiration…I listen more for enjoyment and I might get inspiration. I’m not running to a Diana Krall record saying I’m gonna be inspired to go write something but her music does make me feel good or the late Amy Winehouse or John Legend. I listen to the Weepies.

I like Interpol and a lot of electro house, the Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk and all them. I really enjoy that.

I listen to it all. I think the only music that I haven’t completely engulfed myself within is drum and bass and it’s just a matter of time. I’ve just been caught up with everything else.

Have you ever or do you ever experience stage fright before performing in front of a crowd?

I wouldn’t say stage fright but there is a nervousness that definitely happens. I wouldn’t equate it to stage fright cause that would mean that I’m frightened of the stage and I’m definitely not. That’s one of the most comfortable places for me but I think it’s just the initial process of getting on the stage because everyone else is so nervous and they’re checking back to see if everything is okay before a performance. It’s all of that shit that happens right before that makes me nervous. If my crew is around me they already know to keep that nervous energy to themselves and be easy because I just want a nice little peaceful environment before I hit the stage.

The game has obviously been male dominated forever but it seems that now there’s less women in the lime-light. Why do you feel that this is the case and do you see this changing anytime soon?

It’s all about the mighty dollar. For as long as females have been in the game our names and personalities have been way bigger than the amount of records that we ever sold. There’ve been a couple of female emcees who went platinum once. They’ve never been able to do it again. The truth is females up until this point haven’t been able to sell records the way male

rappers do and at the end of the day record labels want their money. That’s all they’re looking for. The bottom line truly is money. They want to know that whatever money they invest that they’re gonna get it back. The goal is to make more but what’s been proven is that they haven’t actually been making it back. They haven’t been breaking even. So until there is a female mc that can do that. Until there is a generation of people who want to spend their money on a female emcee we’ll still be where we are.

Speaking of money…What’s the best way for new artists to make money in today’s music scene?

Right now...it aint really about making money, like I’m not even returning to it to make money. I’m returning to it because I love it. It feeds me and it’s a game I like to play and I’m in it because I really love to do it. A couple years ago you could definitely make a plan to get in and make some money. Now if we’re specifically speaking about the artist that only does music and how can they survive. Go teach music if you’re a musician and you know how to play.

I would say look to teach someone else how to play that instrument.

If you’re an artist and you want to get out there and become known and create a following so that you one day can garner the eyes of the major record labels I would say do everything and anything you can to expose yourself. That means being on every social network platform that exists on the Internet. That means going to perform for every talent show, every showcase, attending symposiums, everything that you can go to, any contest that they may have on the radio. It’s just getting involved and knowing and conquering your territory. I know this plan well because I did it. This is part of what the First Priority music family did back in the day. We conquered New York, we went out further throughout the tri-state, went to New Jersey, went to Philly, went to Boston, went down into Baltimore and Delaware and D.C. Once we were able to do all of that on our own… of course the major record labels wanted to be in business at that point. So, I think it’s about really taking the bull by the horns and making it move the way you want it to and that means putting in that groundwork…that foundation. To tell you the truth, most people that are like flying high on top, they all did it. From Jay-Z to Ludacris to [Young] Jeezy, they were all on the grind for themselves prior to being noticed by any major record labels.

I’ve been listening to the songs on your latest album. I gotta say that my favorite one is “The Wonder Years.”

That song “The Wonder Years” is definitely [DJ] Premier.

The beat was originally for Jay-Z and not sure what happened but he didn’t take it. I called Premier and said I wanted a track and he said he had one that it looks like Jay isn’t going to use so take it. So, I took it and that’s what became of it.

For this album I chose producers from all over the place.

“Rockin with the Best” is with Ski and the Apple Juice Kid,

these guys called The Notes from Detroit, I used the Teamsters out of Virginia. I’m moving around and I’m trying the tracks that best suit this record. This record is real hip-hop, soulful scenario. There are samples but then there are live instruments on top of the samples to give a fuller sound and so far I have a list of possible collaborations and have gotten word back that they really want to do something. Anthony Hamilton, Faith and other artists who I listen to and really enjoy. I don’t know how many I’ll be successful in getting but I’m certainly going to try.

I recently found out that Charles Hamilton is a cousin of yours. What do you feel about the direction that he’s been going in with his career?

I actually know of the latest turn of his career that many are not privy to yet. He’s moved along with the production and mixing of his record and the bottom line is that Charles is a very honest guy. He’s gonna speak his mind which he should always. One thing he’ll never hear from me is shut up because I want to be told the truth and I want to know how somebody feels. With Charles, that’s just the type of guy he is… everybody votes for the underdog and as soon as the underdog starts coming up from out of the water and starts to fly everybody finds faults and flaws.

What’s most important is that he’s back to making his music and he’s found explanation for why he felt the need to be as raw as he was being with the honest truth. People were taking advantage of him and I don’t blame him, I’d be upset too and as a matter of fact I was but I didn’t come into the knowledge that he came into until I was much older. He was made to deal with this at a very early age so it’s the politics of the business. It doesn’t make it right however it is something that those artists have to deal with and we’ll be hearing from him real soon and I’m proud of the works that he has coming and I think people are really gonna be happy with it.

Is there anything that you want to say to your fans or anything that you want people to know about your future plans?

Thank you very much to the fans for showing me undying love that allows me to do what I do for a living. I appreciate it and I’m forever in debt to those that speak up for MC Lyte whenever there’s a cipher going on and somebody asks who’s the best female

is something you can never get back- so when “Time someone stands and watches a show or stands in line for an hour, I want them to be able to walk away and say that they felt something.”

emcee that ever did it. High fives to all my brothers and sistas, I appreciate the love. I’m trying to get the album done and once it is people will hear it. I think over the course of the last five years I’ve given away so many songs and also have made songs available on the digital front if they ever felt the desire to go and purchase a MC Lyte record. “Rockin with the Best” is the setup single. I’m coming and you can find me on: Twitter. com/MCLyte. I’m on Myspace, Facebook, I blog at okaysister. com. I’m looking forward to really making it pop this year and coming into the next year with two new television shows and the radio syndicated deal which will take me to at least 30 markets once a week with a show called Café Mocha, which is sort of like a radio version of the View. I’m executive vice president of DuBose Music Group which is the record label that (never thought I’d say it) I work for and it’s also the label I am signed to. I’m helping to strategize and make the plans for what will be my next album release.

How can producers get tracks to you and how do you look for track from up and coming cats?

I find them from all over the place. Someone might hit me up on Myspace. It’s really that simple. I only ask that they send in CD’s because at times MP3’s will cram my mailbox which becomes an issue. They can feel free to send me a CD at this address: DMG 1149 N. Gower St. Suite 256 Los Angeles, California 90038. Put Attention: MC Lyte Are you amazed by how popular you are among the younger fans?

Funny thing is that I am finding more and more of that especially when I go to perform. I just did a show in Von King Park, Brooklyn and the audience was made up of two, three generations. The little kids are like “OMG, it’s MC Lyte!” I’m like oh, okay, I need to document this. I don’t think people understand the effect that can be long- lasting, specifically when I go and I perform

and I speak because there’s a lot of cats in the game that don’t even speak to people. I tell them every time that I love who loves me so if you’re gonna give me the attention, I’m gonna give you something that’s worth it. Time is something you can never get back -so when someone stands and watches a show or stands in line for an hour, I want them to be able to walk away and say that they felt something. To give nothing in return is whack. The kids feel a genuine level of affinity for me because I feel it for them. It makes sense and I’m seeing it on blogs as well as the kids writing me on Twitter. Fourteen year old kids quoting my lyrics…it feels good to relate to the next generation just like the first time.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with Rapper’s Delite.

In Case You Might Have Missed…

Words by Cee Brooke

I

t was a moment in time when flamboyant, multicolored baggy suits lead the way for urban fashion on billboards, television screens and print publications (remember those?). Popular record samples from the seventies and eighties were the pre-requisite for locking down song rotation over the radio waves and video shows throughout the world. The commercialization of hip-hop was taking the shape of the dominant culture we now know today.

Camp Lo, a duo from the Bronx, New York, in a creative underworld of their own, crafted arguably one of the most slept on albums to date. Uptown Saturday Night’s unofficial release in early 1996 and official deliverance in January 1997 broke through the conventional norms of the time and transcended ordinary beats and rhymes. The album takes its name from the 1974 comedy starring Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby and Harry Belafonte.

Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede’s unorthodox slang combinations and flow craftsmanship soared over the heads of the masses.

They incorporated distinctive styles and vocal quality that fused effortlessly with 70’s blaxploitation themes and custom fitted soul production, courtesy, mostly of Ski Beats. Ski’s ability to allow solid drum work and keyboard elements to interact with lesser known funk jazz and soul samples, translated into a cohesive backdrop for emcee vocals to complete the soundtrack. From start to finish this album is loaded with singles lead off by the timeless “Luchini a.k.a. This Is It”, which reintroduced this duo to the world after a luke-warm response to “Coolie High”, released about a year earlier on The Great White Hype soundtrack. “Black Nostaljack a.k.a. Come On” and “Rockin’ It a.k.a Spanish Harlem” also fit in with the rest of the album’s cinematic tales of jewel heists and underworld dealings.

Meaningful collaborations like “Swing”, with Ish a.k.a. Butterfly of Digable Planets fame (to prove that the notion of Geechi Suede and Butterfly sounding alike was incorrect), and B-side to Hollywood with De La Soul’s Trugoy (Plug two), only helped to solidify the albums relevance.

Undaunted by the pressure most artists feel to follow the latest trend, artisans united and presented to the music community a gorgeous gem.

As most of us are aware, an albums’ chart position and sales figures often do not truly reflect the quality of the product. Well crafted for the listeners’ pleasure, Uptown Saturday Night is still a hit.

Camp Lo - Uptown Saturday Night Tracklisting •

01. Krystal Karrington

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02. Luchini AKA This Is It

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03. Park Joint

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04. B-Side To Hollywood (feat. Trugoy the Dove)

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05. Killin’ Em Softly

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06. Sparkle Camp Lo

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07. Black Connection

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08. Swing (feat. Butterfly)

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09. Rockin’ It AKA Spanish Harlem

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10. Say Word (feat. Jungle Brown)

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11. Negro League (feat. Bones and Karachi R.A.W.)

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12. Nicky Barnes AKA It’s Alright (feat. Jungle Brown)

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13. Black Nostaljack AKA Come On

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14. Coolie High

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15. Sparkle (Mr. Midnight Mix)

If You Could Make Your Own Voltron…

Words by Sean Pen Voltron was considered to be the ultimate fighting force, the perfect defensive warrior for mankind. No matter what adversary was put against him, he always prevailed.

The five cadets that piloted the separate lions all had contrasting personalities alone but were unstoppable when they united. Each lion was an important component and in turn each pilot had to be just as efficient in battle.

The five forces that represent Voltron in the rap game possess these same qualities as far as quickly handling and dispatching a foe, especially a potentially dangerous one. Let’s examine a little more closely.

KRS-ONE- Voltron counterpart: Commander Keith Black lion: head The Blastmaster is the most logical choice to lead this super-team. He possesses all the necessary qualities required: intelligence, saavy, and on hand battle

experience.

He leads by example and can back up just about any statement he makes.

His battle with MC Shan was legendary. He made quick work of PM Dawn’s Prince B. Perhaps his most dangerous adversaries were the likes of X-Clan, a group that was just as intelligent but attacked KRS-One’s style which was deemed “too aggressive”. Both were trying to get similar points across but their methods were soundly different.

Commander Keith would recognize the intelligence and cunning of such a foe and would study their movements, attack patterns, etc. Like Commander Keith, KRS constantly ponders his decisions and comes up with new

strategies. The only difference however, is that Commander Keith remains quiet and reserved, while KRS in battle can be quite boisterous. Another impressive trait the blastmaster possesses is his lack of fear of his opponents, but at the same time has enough respect for them to not aimlessly dive in and risk making a grave error in battle. He will go into battle with any and everybody and often emerges victorious.

Jay-Z- Voltron counterpart: Lance Red lion / right arm Lance was a tall, wiry, and wily individual who constantly cracked jokes and made fun of people. Jay-Z possesses many similar qualities. He was second in command on the team, often questioning Commander Keith’s decisions. In actuality, Jay-Z is his own boss, but he had to be the understudy for some time in order for him to hone his skills and gather enough knowledge to go out on his own. Jay-z is certainly no stranger to battle. There was a period when it seemed just about everyone was coming at him at one point or another. Nas, Jaz-O, Cam’ron, 5o Cent, Game, Mobb Deep, the list goes on. Like KRS and Commander Keith before him, he analyzes his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and exploits them. He is the ultimate when it comes to capitalizing on a mistake made by the enemy.

Like Lance, he was excellent in everything he did. Lance was often reckless at times, but Jay always remained cool and collected. His business acumen is second to none. He is perhaps the most rounded emcee out there today, maybe ever. He does everything well and has saturated himself in today’s market. He plays second fiddle on this team, but in reality he can lead himself.

MC LYTEVoltron counterpart: Princess Allura Blue lion / Right leg of Voltron Princess Allura was the ruler of the kingdom of Altair and of the entire planet for that matter. She inherited the throne after her father died and was the commander in chief of her planet. In reality, she was Commander Keith’s superior. She took over the blue lion from the original pilot who went by the name of Sven. Lyte basically took over from

Roxanne Shante and elevated the female emcee to superstar status. She is the First Lady of Voltron, as Lyte is the first female emcee to release a full length album, making her the first lady in this case as well.

Imagine a female who possessed every bit of the skill, cunning, and grit as her male counterparts. Lyte is the ultimate b-girl, everyone’s favorite female emcee. She is not afraid to go toe to toe with anyone and being from a male oriented field, she is able to adapt and take on the personality of her male counterparts. Another skill is her ability to thrive in hip hop’s constantly changing environment. She is beautiful, skilled, intelligent, and brave. Who could possibly ask for anything else? She has felled opponents with the precision of a lumberjack cutting down huge redwood trees.

LL COOL J- Voltron counterpart: Hunk Yellow lion / left leg Like Hunk, LL is the strongman of the group. He has perhaps the most battle experience of all. His battles with Kool Moe Dee basically pitted a slick wordsmith who was his superior against a brash upstart who had tons of star potential. Hunk was a fierce combatant but had a big heart, just like LL. James Todd Smith has been in the game for twenty plus years and is known by virtually every genre. He has given back to the community countless times over and is one of the most widely recognized artists / performers in the world.

His star power and appeal have allowed him to thrive in areas where others have fallen. His relevance is apparent to this day, and his fiery competitiveness can be triggered at any time. Kool Moe Dee, Ice T, Hammer and Canibus have been his most high profile battles. In comparison to Hunk, LL is that hulking figure who has a heart of gold but can quickly turn the tables on anyone who dares cross him. He is a pillar of strength that is invaluable to any team or squad that requires a battle tested warrior.

EMINEM- Voltron counterpart: Pidge Green lion / left arm Slim Shady is the ultimate teammate who has the potential to be perhaps the greatest ever. Pidge is the youngest and smartest of the group. He is well trained in martial arts and hand to hand combat just like the others in the group. However, he can use his size and agility to his advantage. Eminem is indeed the Pidge of this super rap conglomerate. He too is the youngest and most outspoken of the bunch. Like Pidge, Eminem is not afraid to speak his mind, often right up in the face of the enemy. He is a constant figure of controversy, often thriving in it. While Pidge is small in stature, many enemies tend to view him as only a minor threat and quickly dismiss him. You cannot take this man lightly.

He has gone against the likes of Canibus, Benzino, Ja Rule, Insane Clown Posse, Limp Bizkit, and countless others. In the Voltron Universe, Pidge is the one who says whatever is on his mind at anytime, even during combat. Often his heart is spoken through his words.

The Shady One certainly shares this same trait. Songs such as “Stan”, “Lose Yourself”, and “Not Afraid” surely attest to this. In addition, the rappers’ only weakness appears to be himself. How certain situations affect him and methods of handling them are the keys to his success.

In closing, these are the five chosen to make up the mighty Voltron. The crazy thing about all of this is they can all be interchangeable if need be. That’s how sick each artist is individually. While there are certainly other rappers who are noteworthy of mention, the original lion Voltron has now been completed.

T

here are so many of us out there who feel like we have something relevant to say. Many of us do. The emcee commands the microphone and controls crowds with a swag that demands our attention as we cling on their every word. It’s a contagious force that influences some of us to emulate their style and begin the quest to perfect our skills. The DJ can raise the temperature in a room by interacting with the crowd. They either use their mastery of music selection or their own voice to hype the crowd up. No matter which method they choose, top sound selectors are welcome at any party.

Break dancers speak a language that can be understood universally without uttering a sound. The art of dance has been one of the most vital aspects of keeping hip-hop alive and allowing it to grow further.

Graffiti and all its rebellious styles and colors has now transcended the canvass of urban subway cars and park walls and can now be enjoyed in the most prestigious art museums around the globe.

“

You never thought that hip hop would take it this far?”

“

Juicy”

- Notorious B.I.G.

Thank you for reading Rapper’s Delite Magazine.

- Editor in Chief, Will Loiseau