The multi-talented West Coast artist further solidifies his reputation as a force to be reckoned with behind the boards throughout this 26-track collection of mood-enhancing beats.
Dilated Peoples’ microphone meteorologist Evidence returns with his heavily-anticipated album “Weather Or Not” featuring Defari, Rapsody, Krondon and more.
Blueprint – “Respect The Architect” (Weightless Recordings) – Responsible for releasing a steady stream of quality music over the last decade-plus, Ohio producer-on-the-mic Blueprint channeled his life experiences, both good and bad, into this emotionally-charged body of work. Capturing a variety of moods and thoughts, Blueprint moved seamlessly throughout this album, from moments of powerful reflection to striking artistic defiance. Genuine soul music.
Skanks – “The Shinigami Flowfessional” (Shinigamie Records) – Spreading love may well be the Brooklyn way as Biggie once said, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be delivered with a heavy dose of rawness, as evidenced by NY emcee Skanks’ impressive solo project. Backed by the rugged, thunder-clap production of France’s Kyo Itachi, the Bankai Fam member repped for both the streets of his Crooklyn stomping grounds and the culture of Hip-Hop with equal parts passion, aggression and determination. How about some hardcore?
Wu-Tang Clan – “A Better Tomorrow” (Warner Brothers) – At one point it looked like “A Better Tomorrow” wasn’t likely to see the light of day, with there being discord within the Clan regarding RZA’s creative direction for the project. Yet, the brothers from the slums of Shaolin managed to find some musical middle ground. For the most part, this 20th anniversary album effectively balanced the Abbot’s grand ideas with traditional Wu-Tang slang, showcasing the still-impressive verbal skills of each member and also including some poignant rhymes for our troubled times.
Dilated Peoples – “Directors Of Photography” (Rhymesayers Entertainment) – Viewing the world through a camera lens on their first group project since 2006, West Coast trio Evidence, Rakaa Iriscience and DJ Babu added more worthy sonic snapshots to their extensive musical photo album, which now spans almost two decades. With “Directors Of Photography”, the crew showcased their creative growth whilst remaining faithful to their underground Hip-Hop roots set in the 90s indie scene.
Giallo Point & SmooVth – “Portrait Of A Pimp” (Crate Divizion) – SmooVth by name, smooth by nature, the Strong Island lyricist plundered UK producer Giallo Point’s beat stash for this sublime, low-key lesson in minimalist magic. Weaving subtle-yet-vivid rhymes around exquisite beats that ranged from cool-breeze loops to 70s soundtrack-style drama, SmooVth used his calm-but-deadly delivery to draw the listener into a cinematic world of fine women, fast living and slick street tales.
Eff Yoo & Godilla – “They Came On Horseback” (Eff Yoo & Godilla) – Riding into town from the high plains of NYC and Pennsylvania respectively, mic-slingers Eff Yoo and Godilla stood as outlaws against Hip-Hop’s diluted mainstream, crafting an album for those who still appreciate genuine lyricism. Joined on their musical travels by the likes of Spit Gemz, Shabaam Sahdeeq and UG of the Cella Dwellas, this rough-and-ready posse made their way through the badlands of rap, inviting like-minded heads to ride alongside them. Saddle up!
Lord Finesse – “The SP1200 Project” (Slice-Of-Spice) – The Diggin’ In The Crates legend unleashed a mammoth selection of masterful, sample-based beats on this brilliant instrumental project. Capturing the timeless essence of classic golden-era Hip-Hop, Finesse demonstrated why his reputation as one of the game’s illest producers remains firmly intact to this day.
Essa – “The Misadventures Of A Middle Man” (First Word Records) – London’s Essa (formerly known as Yungun) is the perfect example of an emcee who has really kept it real over the years in the truest sense of the term. Having displayed consistent artistic growth, integrity and honesty since debuting in the early-2000s, this long-awaited album found Essa delivering expertly-written verses over a varied selection of musical flavours, from futuristic soul and afro-beat to traditional, drum-heavy Hip-Hop. Capturing Essa’s thoughts on topics such as his mixed-race heritage, religion and family, “The Misadventures…” offered insight into the world of an artist with a sharp mind and an equally sharp lyrical ability.
Diamond District – “March On Washington” (Mello Music Group) – Successfully achieving the delicate balancing act of pushing creative boundaries whilst still satisfying original fans, DMV trio Oddisee, yU and Uptown XO’s follow-up to their 2009 album “In The Ruff” demonstrated both musical growth and a deeper lyrical approach. Spring-boarding off of Oddisee’s ever-expanding production palette, the group crafted a now-school album with influences that could be traced back to 70s soul and 90s Hip-Hop.
K-9 – “The Re-Education Of King 9” (Rotton Products) – This self-produced album from London emcee K-9 is what KRS-One would no doubt describe as ‘edutainment’. Proudly displaying a strong reggae influence rooted in old-school sound-system culture, K-9 also drew heavily on his West Indian ancestry as he linked the social plight faced by many inner-city British Black Black youth to the experiences of older generations arriving in England in the late-40s and after. Tackling racism, injustice and colonialism, “The Re-Education Of…” is as much a history lesson as it is a snapshot of present-day Britain. Intelligent, entertaining and engaging. Overstand!
Golden Brown Sound – “The Great Man Theory” (GBS) – Claiming to be bringing ’88 back, “not the place and time, but the state of mind”, Boston duo NoDoz and DJ On & On succeeded in crafting an album that, like so many golden-era favourites of yesteryear, was recorded with the intention of being valued and embraced by the Hip-Hop Nation first and foremost. NoDoz’s passionate social commentary and life observations sat tightly over On & On’s pounding production, resulting in “The Great Man Theory” being a combustible mix of mental stimulation, energy and true skills.
Various Artists – “Jamla Is The Squad” (Jamla Records) – With Statik Selektah on the ones-and-twos, this mixtape-style compilation of Jamla artists and allies showcased just how much talent is affiliated with the 9th Wonder-helmed label. Featuring the likes of Big Remo, Rapsody and GQ delivering expert wordplay over the soul-drenched boom-bap of Khrysis, Eric G and 9th himself, this album proved, as Busta Rhymes mighty say, that Jamla really is the squid-aud!
Keith Science – “Hypothalamus” (Central Wax Records) – Following up 2012’s impressive “Vessels Of Thought Volume II”, New Jersey producer Keith Science unlocked his lab to present this collection of atmospheric instrumentals. Ranging from mesmerising, late-night-flavoured beats, to sparse, neck-snapping rhyme-ready tracks, with “Hypothalamus” Science proved himself to be a true master of the sampling arts.
Ray Vendetta & Greater Good – “Effortless” (GreaterGoodBeats.BandCamp.Com) – A member of talented UK collective Triple Darkness, London emcee Ray Vendetta stepped outside of crew ranks to drop this dope solo project. Combining life memories, positive sentiments and raw imagery with the hazy, head-nodding production of Greater Good, “Effortless” was a hypnotic, and at times haunting listening experience, which stayed with you long after the last track faded away.
Sonnyjim & Leaf Dog – “How To Tame Lions” (EatGood Records) – Collaborations between particular emcees and producers may look good on paper, but don’t always translate well once both parties are in the studio. When done right, however, the final results can be a match made in Hip-Hop heaven, like this EP from Birmingham emcee Sonnyjim and High Focus Records production wizard Leaf Dog. Meshing colourful wordplay and rewind-worthy punchlines with sublime beats, the pair displayed a natural chemistry throughout “How To Tame Lions” which, hopefully, will be heard again on future releases.
Von Poe VII – “Only Godz Relate” (Organized Threat) – An ambitious project of epic proportions, this thirty-track double-album from West Coast emcee Von Poe found the skilled artist unleashing intricate verses laced with socially conscious sentiments, street knowledge and a strong sense of cultural pride. Linking with equally talented wordsmiths such as Planet Asia and the UK’s Melanin 9, Poe also demonstrated a sharp ear for quality production, with “Only Godz Relate” possessing a strong sonic identity thanks to the ominous, piano-laced soundscapes of Saheed Sha, Endure and Faces. Peace to the Godz!
Creestal – “Difference” (Munchie Records) – French producer Creestal’s instrumental project “Difference” (a dedication to the “dark and rugged” aspects of America) offered listeners a captivating sonic journey which conjured up images of New York City project buildings, late-night street-corner drama and lost record collections rediscovered in dusty basements. Meticulously pieced together from a variety of random sample material, “Difference” was as unpredictable as it was enjoyable.
Timeless Truth – “Dominican Diner” (TimelessTruthNYC.Com) – Building on the strong foundations of their previous releases and continuing to carry on tradition, blood-related “Queens giants” Oprime39 and Superbad Solace repped proudly for their NY borough throughout “Dominican Diner”, accompanied by atmospheric production from the talented Fafu. Staying true to the golden-era codes and ethics of Rotten Apple Hip-Hop, Oprime and Solace respectfully paid homage to the NYC sound that raised them whilst making their own worthwhile contribution to the city’s rap legacy.
Supastition – “Honest Living” (Reform School Music) – Written during a period in when North Carolina-raised, ATL-based lyricist Supastition found himself unemployed and looking for a j-o-b in an unsteady US economy, “Honest Living” was working-class Hip-Hop capable of resonating with anyone struggling to make-ends-meet and provide for their family. Backed by the melodic boom-bap of German producer Croup, Supa provided the perfect soundtrack for everyone out there counting down to payday every month.
Jazz Spastiks – “The Product” (JazzPlastik) – UK production duo Coconut Delight and Mr. Manayana delivered a flawless album with “The Product”, a thoroughly-satisfying, head-nodding extravaganza which found the pair supplying the likes of Yesh, Apani B. Fly and Count Bass D with their classic brand of jazz-infused beats. Smooth horn samples, huge basslines and dreamy keys were the order of the day here, resulting in a warm, timeless listening experience.
Evidence, Rakaa and DJ Babu discuss some Dilated Peoples history and how the crew approached recording their forthcoming long-awaited album “Directors Of Photography”.
The UK’s Psykhomantus pulls together a quality selection of remixes from Spanish production duo Cookin’ Soul featuring soulful reworkings of material from Crooklyn Dodgers, Mobb Deep, Heavy D and more – listen here.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the deejay was considered to be the backbone of Hip-Hop culture. From the original 70s Bronx block-parties as rocked by Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa, to the technical innovations of Grandmaster Flash and Grand Wizard Theodore, onto the 80s showmanship of Jazzy Jeff and DJ Aladdin, those behind the wheels of steel largely got the credit they deserved.
By the 90s, however, the game had changed dramatically. As corporate interest infiltrated Hip-Hop the microphone took precedence over the turntable as record labels concentrated their efforts on finding the next rap superstar as opposed to the next legendary deejay. Born out of this apparent ignorance of the importance of the ones-and-twos came the decade’s turntablist movement, and with it multi-talented deejay crews such as NY’s X-ecutioners, the UK’s Scratch Perverts, and, of course, the West Coast’s formidable bunch of deck-wreckers, the World Famous Beat Junkies.
Currently celebrating twenty years of competitive dominance, producing, club-rocking and relentless needle-thrashing, crew members Melo-D, J. Rocc, DJ Babu and DJ Rhettmatic touched down at London’s Jazz Cafe for over two hours of quality music, jaw-dropping skills and all-round good times.
With Melo-D and Rhettmatic the first to take their places at each end of the impressive eight-turntable set-up, the night began with a selection of old-school classics from the likes of Slick Rick and the Crash Crew cut and blended effortlessly, as Rhettmatic informed the crowd they were “just warming it up Beat Junkies style” as he fired off various sound effects over Melo’s selection.
The crew’s self-proclaimed Funky President J. Rocc was the next to take to the stage, plugging in his laptop and adjusting headphone levels before jumping seamlessly into the mix, dropping subtle cuts and turntable tricks before being joined by Babu who completed the night’s line-up.
With all four deejays now onstage the party really got started, with the quartet generating a constant wall of sound that crossed numerous musical genres at breakneck speed without ever missing a beat. Displaying a chemistry honed over years of performing together, small nods and simple hand gestures was the only communication required between the crew as they each took turns adding further layers to the sonic tidal wave, alternating between vinyl and Serato technology.
The musical menu was definitely eclectic, with 80s electro from the likes of Newcleus blended into old-school p-funk from Funkadelic and bass-heavy Dilla, before the crowd were given some reggae vibes with a Beat Junkie Sound special of Damian Marley’s “Welcome To Jamrock” and Sister Nancy’s timeless classic “Bam Bam”.
Following the party segment of their performance, the Beat Junkies then took their collective gloves off to deliver one of the trademark group routines which has seen them win various competitions over the years. With crab scratches, flares and all manner of other complex techniques cutting through the air like sharp blades, the four turntable titans effectively demonstrated why they’re considered to be amongst the world’s elite deejays, both individually and as a group.
After the crew had showcased their unified abilities, each member was given the spotlight to shine on their own, with Babu dropping his classic “Blind Alley” routine and J. Rocc deconstructing the Incredible Bongo Band’s b-boy anthem “Apache” with seemingly effortless skill, his masterful beat-juggle even more impressive considering the deejay had struggled with technical difficulties for most of the night.
Ending the musical spectacle with a freestyle jam session, DJ Babu unexpectedly called the UK’s Mr. Thing onstage to deliver some impromptu cuts, with the talented yet always-humble former Scratch Pervert making his way from the audience to unleash a furiously fast batch of scratches, reminding all in attendance why he’s also considered to be one of the nicest to ever put his hands on two pieces of vinyl.
Two decades deep, the Beat Junkies remain at the top of their game, and this entertaining anniversary performance proved Melo-D, J. Rocc, Babu and Rhettmatic to still be more than worthy of their crowns as undisputed kings of the cuts on two turntables.
Ryan Proctor
World Famous Beat Junkies group routine at the Jazz Cafe.
When members of any well-established Hip-Hop group start announcing plans for solo material it usually means said group is due to split imminently over arguments about finances and creative control, with at least one member destined to either drop off the radar completely or damage the crew’s legacy with sub-par releases.
One exception to the rule, however, has been West Coast trio Dilated Peoples.
Cali Hip-Hop junkies Rakaa Iriscience, Evidence and DJ Babu made a huge impact on the independent scene of the late-90s with classic singles on Beni B’s ABB imprint such as “Third Degree” and “Work The Angles”. The talented threesome then turned their underground popularity into a productive major label partnership with Capitol Records, resulting in four well-received albums that largely stayed true to the group’s original musical blueprint.
In recent years, however, all three Dilated members have stepped out to record solo efforts, with the group itself remaining intact whilst Ev, Rakaa and Babu each took on new musical challenges and shouldered the individual responsibility of guiding their respective projects.
Through a combination of quality music, hardwork, perseverance and constant touring, Venice, Los Angeles producer-on-the-mic Evidence has subsequently built himself a strong solo brand and cult following. Clearly not taking anything for granted regardless of his status as an already respected figure in the rap world, releases such as 2007’s brilliant album “The Weatherman” and 2008’s follow-up EP “The Layover” showcased the sound and passion of an Evidence determined to succeed or fail on his own terms rather than lean on any previous successes.
Last year’s “Cats & Dogs” project (the emcee’s first on the Rhymesayers label) further solidified Ev’s reputation as a legitimate solo act, featuring the weather-obsessed wordsmith weaving verses full of both personal reflection and claims of lyrical supremacy over impressive production from the likes of DJ Premier, The Alchemist and Sid Roams.
In London earlier this month for a one-off gig at the city’s Jazz Cafe venue, Evidence took time prior to hitting the stage to discuss the effort that goes into promoting an independent project, the dangers of being an artist on Twitter and his hopes for the forthcoming Dilated Peoples ‘reunion’ album.
I remember we did an interview back in 2004 when Dilated’s “Neighborhood Watch” dropped and you said you felt some fans thought all you did was watch “Wild Style” all day and that you weren’t perceived as being a real person living a real life. Two solo albums and one EP later do you still feel people have that perception of you or do you think it’s changed now?
“Definitely the latter. The whole reason that statement came up around the time of the “Neighborhood Watch” album was because of the “This Way” record we did for the project with Kanye West. Before that we’d done “The Platform” and “Expansion Team” and they were both very much albums that our fanbase expected us to make. “Neighborhood Watch” was still very much the same as the other two, but we just happened to have a single featuring a big artist with some singing on the chorus which confused some fans. That reaction really made us aware of how much we were the poster children for people who were spraying on walls and stuff like that (laughs). It tripped us out a bit because although that’s a part of our lives and we’re immersed in what we do, we didn’t fully realise what our music represented to people until that point. So, for me, this solo thing has been about getting back to basics and going back to what things were like when we were dropping music on ABB Records, just grinding it out. So it’s more about the people’s champ kind of thing (laughs). With the Dilated albums we were on a major label with money being pumped into what we were doing. We had videos, radio play and with that comes a lot of different things. The route I’m going now feels natural and I’ve been through a lot to be able to understand my place, what I’m building and what it means to me. I mean, I don’t ever want to be comfortable, because once you’re comfortable that means you’re not elevating or pushing yourself, but I definitely know who I am and what I’m doing right now which is a good thing.”
When you were recording the Dilated albums for Capitol how much of a balancing act was it to not let the industry politics of a large label influence the music you were making as a group?
“We had a big budget but the music we made didn’t reflect that and it was very much the music we wanted to make. I mean, we had to fight to put certain singles out, like “Worst Comes To Worst” which is still our biggest record. To the label that was just a song and wasn’t something that they really understood, but once it got out there we were charting here in the UK and doing crazy s**t like “Top Of The Pops” off that record. Now, the Kanye record didn’t even reach that same level, which I took as a real lesson that if you stick with what you believe in then sometimes it can supercede your expectations. But that said, I definitely wouldn’t take the Kanye record back because it was one of the best experiences I ever had and the song has definitely stood the test of time. The crazy thing is that we actually recorded that song before Kanye became the huge artist he was when it dropped. At the time we made it he was just a producer we thought was dope who’d worked with people like Talib Kweli. I mean, when it dropped a lot of fans had something to say about us making a record with Kanye but in time a lot of those same people have come around to it and are now at shows with their hands in the air singing that s**t.”
Your most recent solo effort “Cats & Dogs” has been out for almost a year now but there’s still a lot of enthusiasm surrounding the project from fans, media etc – have you been surprised by the album’s staying power?
“It’s a blessing, man. It really is such a blessing. I think with all the solo campaigns I’ve done I’ve devoted a certain amount of time to it knowing that it’s not going to have the same sort of push that the Dilated albums did. So I already know before I start that I’m going to have to stay out longer to push my projects to get them to a level that the group albums were at in two months. Now you’ve got to rock it for a year. I’m still dropping new visuals for tracks off the album and am staying on tour promoting it. I told myself that I’d do it for a year following the album’s release last September and here we are now in July and we’re still working it. I mean, it catches on slower as an independent album, the rise and fall isn’t as fast as it might be with a major label release. If I’m out there touring and putting my heart and soul into the shows and putting out new videos then one thing’s feeding the other. If you keep pushing it consistently then it still feels current and doesn’t give people the chance to think of it as an album that came out almost a year ago.”
There also seemed to be a lot of work in the lead up to the “Cats & Dogs” release to make people aware of the project which is something that some artists today don’t necessarily seem to understand the importance of….
“I credit a lot of that to Rhymesayers. They have a really good understanding of how to work things independently. As a label they’ve also really believed in the record and didn’t throw in the towel a couple of months after it came out. They’re definitely focussed on making people backtrack and check the album out. I mean, you’d be surprised at how many people say they know the record or like the record, but still haven’t actually purchased the album yet.”
Really?
“Yeah, I mean it’s only natural. I like a lot of records that I still haven’t gotten around to buying yet. It doesn’t mean that I’m not a fan of that artist or of that particular record. I mean, there’s different degrees of being a fan of an artist. You can know absolutely everything about an artist, or you can just say you like a particular album they put out, and either way is okay with me. I use the Radiohead example all the time, nobody can name the band but everyone knows the name of the lead singer. It doesn’t mean that just because you can’t name everyone in the band that you’re not a Radiohead fan. So I’m just hoping that one way or another I’ll reel people in, whether it’s through live shows or word of mouth, and then when the day comes that I wake up and feel like I’m beating a dead dog then the campaign is done and I’ll just let the album live and put out something else.”
On the subject of fans, artists today are able to have much more interaction with their core audience via Twitter, Facebook etc. How comfortable are you with using social networking to communicate with fans?
“I feel comforable using those outlets but they’re dangerous. They’re super dangerous. I’m not naming names, but there are people who I looked up to that I followed on Twitter or Facebook and it just really turned me off. Now I don’t even listen to your music because I don’t even like you. That’s f**ked up. I mean, I never knew that much about Jon Bon Jovi but if I was following him on Twitter I don’t know if I’d be the fan that I am. But then on the other side, some people are slick with it and that might actually make you like them even more as an artist. But the way I see it is that the whole social networking thing makes normal people famous and famous people normal. Music is a big part of it but as a fan if you believe in an artist then you believe in them. You’re looking at what they wear, how they move, where they go and what they do. It’s intriguing, but then if you find out that someone is talented but they’re a d**k then the mystique is gone and it’s over.”
You’ve also been building quite a following on Instagram with your photography…
“I mean I was doing the photography thing long before Instagram but there was just never really a place to post it and put it out there. My mother was a photographer and she passed on so the whole thing means a lot to me and I’ve got all the cameras and all the other stuff. I went to college for photography to please my mother, so the whole thing definitely isn’t new. Ironically, I found Instagram after we’d decided to name the next Dilated album “Directors Of Photography”. DJ Babu pointed it out to me and I thought it was really cool, even though at the time I didn’t think it was going to become as big as it has done. The initial plan was for us to have all these pictures on Instagram and then use those pictures on our album cover and everyone would be wowed by it. It was only really popular in Japan when we got on it and here we are millions of users later (laughs). But I still think it’s cool and I think you can tell a lot about someone on Instagram from the way they treat their photos to what they choose to take pictures of. It’s just like looking at someone’s Twitter but with a much more creative side.”
Do you think you have a style of photography in the same way that people would consider you to make a particular style of music?
“Probably (laughs). I mean, I think if you look at my feed on Instagram you can definitely tell that it’s all the same person taking the photos. But I’m still developing that side of what I do, although I definitely love it and when you have that passion for something the learning curve goes up quickly.”
Do you also consider it to be another way of letting fans into your world outside of the music?
“The cool thing is that I haven’t really posted any picture of myself, it’s all mainly just what I see while I’m travelling. So there are a lot of people who follow me on Instagram who’ve just found me on there who don’t actually realise I rap or do the music thing, they just like the pictures. So that’s really a huge compliment to me. But it’s almost like I’m living dual existences on some Clark Kent / Superman s**t, like the photos on Instagram is my day job and the music is the night-time s**t. But it’s really, really dope.”
As you mentioned, you’ve been doing a lot of touring for “Cats & Dogs” – does that experience give you a different perspective on your music in terms of how audiences in particular parts of the world might perceive a certain song etc?
“I find that it’s all exactly the same. If you put your heart into your music and you believe in it then that will radiate and people will understand what you meant by a certain song wherever they are. Now, rocking for people that have never heard of you and rocking for people who already know you are two completely different things. But rocking for people who know your music is the same to me anywhere in the world.”
“Cats & Dogs” is definitely a more personal album compared to your previous material. Did that subject matter work its way into the album naturally or did you actually sit down with the intention of digging a little deeper this time around?
“2010 was a bad year for me personally and that was also the time I was recording “Cats & Dogs”. So my personal s**t started to get in the way of my music to the point where I started writing about it a lot. Some of it became really dark and depressing and some of it was very theraputic. So I decided to keep the theraputic s**t and get rid of the stuff that felt overly down. But it is harder to put out something personal that might be saying I don’t have money right now or that you’ve been hurt compared to just putting out raps about rapping. If you’re putting something personal out and people don’t like it then that’s going to hurt you more than someone just not liking your punchlines. So it was definitely nerve-wracking but the reward is that much greater if it translates and the audience are able to relate to what you’re saying.”
Was there anyone in your camp who felt that perhaps you shouldn’t get too personal on the album in case core fans felt it wasn’t what they were expecting from you?
“No-one really told me not to do it. Alchemist did tell me that this is supposed to be fun and to remember that, which was good to hear. I mean, being deep is the s**t and I love to do that, but it was good to hear that from someone at that particular point in the process. But nobody ever said anything to me like ‘I don’t think you should do this.’ It was more people saying that they liked certain songs more than others. But I mean Alchemist told me once that he didn’t like “Mr. Slow Flow” and that’s my biggest record so sometimes you just have to trust your own judgement and stick with what you believe in.”
On the flipside, given the amount of one-dimensional emcees out there today do you feel that people are actually looking for artists to be more personal in their music?
“Only if it’s real and you’re not going Emo just to do it. There’s definitely a fine line and some people are able to do it really well. I mean, someone like Kanye West, to me everything that I hear him say I think really is him. Like when he’s talking about how he wet the bed until a certain age, some people might think that’s too much information but that’s what he really wanted to say and because of that I think it comes across as genuine. So if the artist is being real with what they’re saying then it can really come across well, but if you’re just doing it to do it then it’s almost like you’re looking for a different form of shock value.”
On the album track “It Wasn’t Me” you say “My music and my graf are living separate lives” – do you miss the freedom you had before you were a recognised artist to be able to go out on regular graffiti missions?
“I don’t miss getting arrested (laughs). Legal is good. At the end of the day it’s all about doing something creative. From graffiti to rapping to producing to drawing to photography, it’s all an extension of something creative but the outlets may morph and change as time goes on. But to me it’s all coming from the same place.”
When you think back to the 90s independent era you came up in what experiences immediately come to mind?
“Just doing early shows during the Rawkus era with Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Eminem, all these people who were just coming up. It’s been so dope to see where every went and the paths they created for themselves. Just the little things standout to me, like being able to go to a record store like Fat Beats everyday just to hang out and then you might see a particular artist or something might happen with people rhyming which was always dope. Then the radio in LA with “The Wake Up Show” and what Mike Nardone was doing. It was all beautiful s**t. But then you can’t say that the new outlets today like a blog or whatever aren’t just as important to artists coming up right now. I mean, before the era I came up in people were talking about Chuck Chillout and Red Alert, so the wheel just keeps turning. That whole 90s independent scene was a dope era if you were there, but you can’t tell people to listen to that stuff today because it was so dope and then tell them that what they’re doing isn’t because it’s not from that time. You just can’t force it on people like that. Either you were there at the time and you got it, or people who weren’t there will find the music in their own time.”
With Dilated Peoples coming back together to record your first new album in over half a decade are you curious to see how the process will work now you’ve all established solo careers in the meantime?
“Definitely, hell yeah. I mean, when we were recording those Dilated albums we were sleeping on each other’s floors and that kind of s**t and it hasn’t been like that everyday for quite awhile. But I think the reason why this album could be the best record we’ve made is because we’ve all had the time to grow and do stuff individually but yet the support has stayed tight and we’ve still done shows together as a group. The reason it could be bad is if we weren’t tight as a unit and were fighting over s**t and just emailing our verses in (laughs). But if we do what we’re setting out to do, which is from August to December of this year just live the s**t together, then we should be able to deliver the album we want to make.”
Ryan Proctor
“Cats & Dogs” is out now on Rhymesayers Entertainment.
Evidence ft. Aloe Blacc – “The Liner Notes” (Rhymesayers Entertainment / 2012)
Attempting to carve out a sucessful solo career after years of being part of a well-respected and highly-revered group can be a huge challenge for any artist, but after watching West Coast producer-on-the-mic Evidence effortlessly rock the stage of Camden Town’s Jazz Cafe, it’s safe to say the Dilated Peoples member has successfully completed the transition.
With no support, no hype-man and no nonsense, Evidence promptly appeared at 9pm, accompanied only by his tour deejay Mishaps, a microphone and some bottles of water. Immediately attacking the stage with the fervour of an artist with something to prove, it was clear that Evidence doesn’t take it for granted that die-hard Dilated fans are automatically die-hard Ev fans, with the Los Angeles lyricist clearly prepared to treat his live performances as an opportunity to potentially win-over anyone unsure of whether he can stand on his own outside of the relative crew comfort of being joined onstage by Rakaa and DJ Babu.
Choosing to let the quality of his music speak for itself, Evidence avoided any lengthy introductions, instead jumping straight into crowd favourites from last year’s “Cats & Dogs” album, encouraging the audience to “bounce, bounce” during the bass-heavy “It Wasn’t Me” and taking a moment to appreciate the enthusiastic reponse to the smoothed-out boom-bap of “The Red Carpet”.
Dipping in and out of both his 2007 solo debut “The Weatherman” and his 2011 sophomore album, Evidence also made a quick musical detour to his 2008 EP “The Layover”, performing the reflective rhymes of the melodic “Rain Or Shine” with both a clarity and passion that ran throughout the entire show.
The hard-hitting “Mr. Slow Flow” was pre-empted by DJ Mishaps briefly cutting up the Jay-Z line sampled for the track, whilst the one-two punch of “Falling Down” and the Alchemist-produced “Chase The Clouds Away” proved to be a further highlight, with Evidence dropping a short freestyle inbetween.
Prior to performing the DJ Premier-produced “You”, Evidence briefly explained how, as an upcoming artist, he’d often daydreamed of being in the position of one day being able to rock over a beat from either Preemo or Dr. Dre. As a nod of respect to the legendary sonic architect and to the surprise of the crowd, Evidence switched-up his performance of the track, with Mishaps dropping the instrumental to Gang Starr’s “Full Clip” as the soundtrack to the Cali wordsmith’s second verse followed by Royce Da 5’9’s instantly recognisable “Boom”.
It’s a testament to both Evidence’s talent and consistency that he can fill a ninety-minute show with only solo material and still keep a crowd entertained with banger after banger. Only after encouraging the audience to sing along with the hook to the brilliant anthem “Late For The Sky” did a sweating Evidence go anywhere near the Dilated Peoples catalogue, closing the show with the neck-snapping “Back Again” before stepping off the front of the stage into the throngs of fans hoping to grab a brief moment with their cult hero.
It might have been raining cats and dogs outside on this particularly dull July evening, but inside the Jazz Cafe, rap’s own self-proclaimed Weatherman ensured the temperature remained hot and the outlook for quality Hip-Hop bright.
Old To The New - Ryan Proctor's Beats, Rhymes & Hip-Hop Nostalgia 