Interview by C73
Is Hip-Hop Dead? If yes, explain. If no, explain:
I don’t believe it’s dead; more like no longer in its golden age. It’s happened to a lot of genres. Once something new comes along, there is a period of explosive creative energy which runs its course and becomes mainstream and misused. But something new always comes along. Right now, most “Hip-Hop” is a mixture of Electronic, RnB, Pop, Rock, and Disco. As those lines keep blurring, eventually some new genre will come along that thumps as hard as Led Zeppelin and Boogie Down Productions and we’ll all be in the golden age of that style.
What is your vision of Hip Hop’s future?
I think there will be two camps of “Hip-Hop,” 1) there will still be electronic sounding RnB songs with rap hooks that appeal to a certain group of people who just listen for a catchy ringtone melody or anything fast to dance to at a club, and 2) I think there will be a resurgence of the importance of lyricism, but it will be paired over live bands with jazz, rock, and metal rather than sampled beats.
Do you listen to other forms of music outside of Hip Hop, if yes WHAT?
I like everything that sounds good to my ears, Rock, Blues, Classic Rock, Stoner Rock, Krautrock, Classical, Doo-Wop… it’s all good to me. As the years have gone by, I’ve gained more of an appreciation for great musicians in any genre.
Who were your artistic/musical influences growing up?
KRS-One, Slick Rick, Run DMC, Rza, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Little Feet. But primarily, my biggest influence was the radio. I grew up taping college Hip-Hop radio shows on my old Fisher boombox. I often didn’t know who the artists were but I made myself fantastic tapes of music that no one in my school had ever heard before. It was great.
What is your music background?
My mother is a piano teacher and got me started on the fundamentals of music early on. In my teens I taught myself how to sample and construct songs electronically. When I was in my early 20’s I taught myself how to play guitar. Nowadays, I mix all of those things together to make one happy noise bomb.
How do you describe your music to people?
Usually I say Hip-Hop beats with Rock riffs. But I still feel like that accurately describes it.
What image do you think your music conveys?
Lots of people have described my music as being haunting, dystopian, hard hitting, cold and melodic… I can’t really argue with any of that.
What’s your outlook on the record industry today?
It’s on life support, and the old business model is dead and buried. The record industry has a short period of time left to reinvent itself. It may have to just let music be free, with advertisements much like TV. Maybe some alternative model will save the day. But it will never be like it once was.
What inspires you to do what you do?
Nothing really, making music is just fun to me. It’s nice to get fan appreciation every now and again, but I’d make music if there was no one else around to hear it.
What project or projects are you currently working on? When will they be released?
I have two albums completed and ready to go. The first is called “Hi-Deaf” and will be coming out on Paramanu Records this year, and the other one I’m considering giving away for free. I don’t know many indie artists who make a cent off their music, might as well just give it to people to brighten their day, or in the case of my music, scare their neighbors.
If you had an opportunity to collaborate with ANY artist or artists (dead or alive) in ANY genre of music/art, who would you choose? And why?
Jimi Hendrix, Buckethead, Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart
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