Benz and a Backpack

At just 23 years old, Miguel Jontel is fast becoming a force in the realm of R&B. Having written for some of the most prolific singers and hit-makers of our generation (Musiq Soulchild, Usher, Mary J. Blige, and many more), it seems only natural that at some point he would get his own opportunity in the limelight. What really kick-started the Los Angeles-native’s success was his smash hit “All I Want Is You,” featuring Roc Nation signee J. Cole. With an album by the same title set to drop at the top of 2011, we chopped it up with Miguel about working with Cole, the beauty of writing your own music, and what can happen on the first day of high school. Text and audio of the interview after the jump, but here’s a sample:

Dizzy: If someone like Busta Rhymes from the 90’s were cross-dressing and shooting crazy videos today [shouts to ARS], it’d probably work against him because he’d be left exposed to rappers taking shots at him. Do you think it’s okay to differentiate yourself completely from the mainstream, or is that not the most viable career move?

Miguel: You know it’s funny because as an artist I’m inclined to rebel and just be myself. But I’ll never forget, this is something that Mark Pitts told me: you have to play the game to change the game. So it’s like, you have to win it under the rules that have already been set in place to change those rules. It’s really a balance for artists; it’s our job to be balanced. It’s about what you intend to do with your art. At the end of the day, it’s that I want my music to reach as many people as possible. I’m not going to sacrifice my integrity, but at the same time I realize that there are things that I may have to do that I may not have wanted to do. But you gotta play the game to change it. That’s how it goes.

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T3′s Stamp of Approval

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Late last week, rumors were confirmed via Twitter that the lyrical monster eLZhi would no longer be a part of the legendary hip hop group Slum Village. The rumors had been circulating for a couple weeks, but their affirmation made real something SlumVill fans everywhere could only hope wasn’t true. The group endured two particularly harrowing tragedies, losing two of their three founding members (master-producer J Dilla in 2006, then spiritually-gifted emcee Baatin last year). The lone founding member of the group, T3, seems just to be just that: alone. Accusations emerged from several different camps that T3 had handled the business around the most recent Slum Village album, Villa Manifesto, in a shady fashion.

These managerial mishaps are nothing new for SV. In 2003, just a year into eLZhi’s tenure with the group, Baatin stepped away to handle a mental health issue and lapsed briefly into a coma. Upon waking up he found out he’d been completely terminated from the group. Allegations of misdoing in that case were leveled mostly at Barak Records (SV’s home), but in 2010 they’re aimed squarely at the surviving third of the original Slum Village triumvir: T3. Elzhi’s claims that he personally was cut out of much of Villa Manifesto (and the subsequent video) aren’t even the most extreme. Detroit emcee Phat Kat, a longtime collaborator with Dilla, SV and many of Detroit’s best hip hop artists, called T3 during his interview on the Motor City’s 98WJLB and declared that T3 “single-handedly dismantled the whole group.” We got a chance to catch up with the homie T3, and in addition to touching all the musical topics we could conjure, he delved into the politics of his relationship with eLZhi and the future (or lack thereof) of Slum Village.

Dizzy: How do you feel about Elzhi right now? You guys have your differences, is he fam in that same way?

T3: You know what, I support Elzhi. What happens is this: he had issues with the label. Okay, I get that El, I’m not mad at that. And I’m still not mad at El, because you gotta handle your business. But my situation with the label is different, because you know I was signed before him. We have different situations. It is what it is, I just don’t like anybody discrediting the legacy of Slum Village. I’m not saying that El was doing that, what I’m saying is that’s when I have to say something. But as far as me supporting El, I support all of his stuff. I don’t get into the drama, and that’s why you don’t see me responding to El. You know El this and that, nah I’m not getting into that. Because at the end of the day, me and El could end up doing something else down the line. And not only that, I feel like El paid his dues with Slum Village, he was there for 8 years, and he paid his dues. He is always gonna be a part of Slum Village. There is no Slum Village without Elzhi. It is what it is, I just think there are too many people around both circles. And that just happens in business, I just don’t like the fact that it’s out in the open. It’s cool to have beef, or have situations you need to rectify, but I don’t put my business out in the open, I don’t think it’s necessary.

Dizzy: That’s a very last resort for me. If it can’t be resolved in a discreet way, then you might just have to air it out, just to you know… it’s like the President going public; he can’t get shit done with Congress so he goes directly to the people.

Hit the skip for the audio and full transcript.

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If you’ve seen HBO’s new series How To Make It In America, then you’ve heard Aloe Blacc (“I Need A Dollar”). Smooth like butter, Aloe croons like a singer of yesteryear, but he also spits with more depth and clarity than most emcees out now and has a top-notch producer backing him in Exile. We had a chance to sit down with the Panamanian musician and chop it up about his first musical endeavor Emanon, the production squad behind “I Need A Dollar” Truth & Soul, and more. Hit the skip for the transcript!

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Yelawolf stamp of approval:

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People used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grow up; now they ask me what I am going to do when I graduate. While this same question has evolved over time, I’m still as clueless as I was when I was 10.  In a way, I kind of feel bad for people who know exactly what they want to do before they even graduate high school.  If my focus in life is aimed too directly, I’m scared tunnel vision might take away opportunities I would have never knew existed.  It’s the uncertainty that drives us into exploring our talents and pushes us to take risks.

Judging by his life story, I don’t think Yelawolf had any idea what he wanted to be when he grew up either.  Between working dead-end jobs, going to Alaska to become a fishermen, and drifting in Cali while attempting to become a professional skateboarder, I’m sure Yela might have had an existential moment or two about his future.  But his failures (if you can call them that) led him back home to ‘Bama and taking a shot at this music thing.

At 31 years old, I don’t know if Michael Wayne Atha knows what he is gonna do when he gets older.  But, if he wants to become a rapper, this is his chance.

Hit the skip for the full transcript and audio.  If you need a Yelawolf primer before reading, make sure to peep Mr. Alexanders biopic of the budding rap star.   Among other nuggets, expect talk about his family, favorite dranks, crew, and most importantly, his take on hip-hop music and culture.

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Since deciding to drop out of law school with only a semester left and a UPenn degree already under his belt, Homeboy Sandman has more than successfully made a transition into the world of hip-hop.  The accolades he has garnered predict a long and illustrious career, and to say he simply has buzz is a huge understatement.  He is currently working on his 4th album in 4 years, putting him leaps and bounds ahead of the “freshman” class (I wont comment on how loosely that word is being thrown around nowadays).

His vocabulary is expansive and and his execution is on point. His song concepts often come from odd places, but only help differentiate his style even more.  One of my favorite tracks is “Parallel Perpendicular”, a song that is basically a showcase of different flows and wordplay.  When we played this song during Midnight Madness we got immediate feedback, and I think you guys will hear why.

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Another one of my personal favorites, along with Pete Rosenberg, is the anti-violence anthem “Gun Control”.  The laid back beat features a gun cocking repeatedly, but there is a never a gun shot.  Homeboy Sandman questions why gun shots have to riddle so many rap songs, creating an unnecessary sensation of violence even when you might just be hanging out at the crib.

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To really get a feel of his humble, quirky, and fun-loving nature, check out his video for one of his most popular songs “Lightning Bolt, Lightning Rod” below.  The shooting of the video is sub-par, the graphics are laughable, and its probably just a bunch of his boys messing around, but everything seems to mesh together to create a really enjoyable experience.

Now I’m gonna shut up and let you hear it straight from the horses mouth.

Benz:  I had a chance to check out your blog, www.homeboysandman.blogspot.com, where you muse about things such as love, elevator etiquette, and being a frugalist.  How does who you are as a person translate into who you are as a rapper?

Homeboy Sandman:  Who I am as a person IS who I am as a rapper. It translates verbatim

Benz: You said in one interview that an artist should never strive to do something that has already been done.  How does this affect your ability to find inspiration in other rappers?

Homeboy Sandman: My finding inspiration in other rappers is pretty much limited to me getting super amped to go write after I watch someone who really impressed me, like when I saw Finale from Detroit this passed Saturday. That dude is a phenom. As far as inspired by styles though, that doesn’t really happen anymore, or it’s pretty minor if at all, such that it goes by unnoticed. Early on in my career my Black Thought, and Eminem influences, among others, were heavily noticed, but not really anymore. Bad rappers inspire me to never come off whack.

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For a long time, I have wanted to write an article about the state of the recording industry and its falling numbers. Unfortunately, there is so much information to present that it would be closer to a research paper for school then an article for a blog. So instead of just posting a long and boring essay on this issue, I’ve summarized it by using statistics and focusing on key points.

The Internet

The Internet and the digital age are slowly taking over many industries. Newspapers, magazines, CD’s/music and movies are just some of industries that are being hit hard by the growth of the Internet. The recording industry is consistently losing major annual revenues do to the illegal download. This has destroyed the structure of the music industry as we knew it in so many ways.

With the Internet growing every second, this leaves us wondering what is going to be the overall outcome when everything is stabilized and settled. Before the Internet boom in the mid 2000′s, for most people the only way to hear about music was through the radio and TV. The record labels and corporate America had almost complete control over what people would hear on the radio and see on TV, and- more or less- which artists would blow up. The Internet has allowed people in the middle of nowhere to be exposed to any type of music from anywhere in the world.

The following statistics were researched by Scott McLeod and Jeff Brenman.

• In 1984 there were 1,000 Internet devices.
• In 1992 there were 1,000,000 Internet devices.
• In 2008 there were 1,000,000,000 Internet devices.

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Earlier today Clutch, Q-Love and I got the chance to sit down with the drummer from The Roots Crew (and Jimmy Fallon House Band), Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson. It was a lucky coincidence that we spoke to Questlove today- February 10th- because it also happens to be the anniversary of the death of the late great producer J Dilla. We know Quest worked with Dilla a substantial amount, and when asked about him, Quest’s voice immediately brightened up, and it became clear that he and Dilla were good friends, and Quest idolized Jay Dee in a big way. Quest also explains why Reagan and Republicanism were good for hip-hop, and how although Barack Obama may be great, he is certainly not Superman. The audio of our conversation will air on 95.5 WBRU’s 360 this Sunday, but the text is under the cut!

“I never saw Obama as a figure that was like a wizard, that could just pull out his wand, and sort of like the cat in the hat, clean the house up in exactly one fell swoop. I knew from the gate that this was the equivalent of one person being asked to clean an entire frat house with 48 hours left before mom and dad get there. And with no sponges, only a toothbrush.”
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Radio B is on his grind. Now I know people are throwing around that term a lot these days. With the economy and all it seems like everyone is grinding – long lines at the unemployment office, pops working multiple jobs, college grads living in their parents basements, college students dealing drugs to pay for tuition (nobody I know), and especially hotties on the dancefloor (“break me off some of that, GIRL!”). Nonetheless, this doesn’t make the term any less true. In fact, it should really just mean that he’s doing something most of us can relate to… sort of.

When we sat down with Radio B a few days ago we thought we were just going to talk about his album ‘Disciplined Defiance’. It was 2 pm and he had work at 4, plenty of time to ask a few questions, show him some love and send him off with well wishes. Instead, we found a captivating subject – an honest dude who’s been in the game a long time, who’s experienced many of the downsides and only so many ups and still loves putting his people and his city on, who’s developed his own philosophy on art and music and a unique kind of optimism despite growing up in what he calls a “crab-barrel” environment.

From Richmond, Virginia, a 28 year old who’s been working at a bank for six years and rapping for more than twice as long, Radio “Blitz” B, got his roots in hip hop through a dog-eat-dog style of battle rapping and has grinded his way out from those noisy parking garages and basements to, well, the underground. That’s right, if you haven’t heard of Radio B then we aren’t really holding it against you, he ain’t on the radio, he hasn’t been on 106 & Park, and he’s not stacking papers from selling his tracks on ITunes. It is his ‘patience before perfection,’ his willingness to chill on the underground for as long as it takes, knowing that one day his music will reach the right ears so he could come up and make an impact in this increasingly-commercialized hip-hop industry. Alright, before I get carried away with all this, let’s get to the interview, which has three tracks from his album scattered throughout it, and maybe after that you’ll see what I mean.

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DJ Webstar is probably best known for his 2006 hit single Chicken Noodle Soup. The Harlem-bred producer, who tries to put everybody from his neighborhood on, is working hard right now, but he still managed to find the time to show us some love and talk about international fan-bases, his go-to-rappers, and 50′s new marketing scheme. Hit the skip for the full interview.
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You may not have heard of Trek Life, and that’s a travesty. Trek reps the West Coast; he was born in Los Angeles and raised in West Covina, a suburb just outside of LA. As both a DJ and an emcee, Trek has all the bases covered. His spinning is on point and has given him the opportunity to back high-profile acts like T.I., Nas, ?uestlove, Jazzy Jeff and more. His flow is energetic and his lyrics are- unlike a lot of emcees in the game today- emotionally evocative, intelligent, and thought provoking. Currently a resident of Duarte, CA, Trek is on his grind. His debut album, Price I’ve Paid, dropped to much critical and popular acclaim, and tracks from the album were featured on MTV’s ‘The Hills’ and ‘From G’s to Gents.’ He’s got three projects in the works, an EP with J.Bizness (slated to drop later this month), a full length album with Oddisee (scheduled to drop in January), and an EP with Babu (of Dilated Peoples) that will accompany Trek’s sophomore album. It’s hard to deny someone who is so buoyant and passionate about what he does. Hit the skip for the full interview, plus a little taste of what you can expect from a Trek Life track.

Benz and a Backpack: Can you recall the first moment you got hooked on hip hop?

Trek Life: My older brother & sister were into it and I can remember just rhyming with them when I was young. The Educated Rapper’s verse from Roxanne, Roxanne was the first verse I remember BUGGIN’ over.

BaaBP: How did growing up in Cali influence your musical tastes?

TL: So many ways man. People overlook the rollerskating aspect of LA. World on Wheels was where a lot of records were broken back in the day. Just the vibe of the city and the constant sunshine. The constant threat of wearing the wrong color. Subtle racism in the suburbs. Several different cultures & languages, cruising, the fake actions of people in Hollywood. Trying to find my place in all this promoted listening to music that reminded you that shit was ok LOL. I mean, Ice Cube’s Death Certificate is my #1 album of all time. I think he told it like it was from a young man’s perspective in LA. That was one of the first times I’d heard it done like that. Most other aspects were for the G’s. I started to want to hear other people’s story and from then on I could see what rappers were saying differenty. Cali has a bunch of layers, from old school funk musicians, to transplant hip hop folks. We have it all, so if you wanna learn and enjoy just about any sound, you can.
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