Interviews
[News] #DK11 Project: Interview with Jai Nitai Lotus
As long time readers know, I’m a big fan of Montreal rapper, Jai Nitai Lotus and his Something You Feel album from last year was certainly that! Enough for me to lend my endorsement to it for nomination consideration for Canada’s Polaris Music Prize last year. That didn’t happen but I stayed cool with Jai and when it cam time to start putting the THIS ONE GOES TO ELEVEN… album together, he was one of the first artists to commit a track to the project. Not only that, it also allowed us to have a full length video attached to the album too.
Jai is not only a talented artist & producer, he is a spiritual & thoughtful person and that essence is infused in the music he makes. It was again an honor to have him be part of the #DK11 project and a pleasure to get to chat with him and get some insights into his music and the world view that informs it. Check it out here:
DK: I think I discovered your Something You Feel album totally by accident while randomly surfing the mostly-Toronto focused cityonmyback site one day. Despite wanting to support as much good domestic hip hop as I can I find it hard to find out about much outside of Toronto where I live. What challenges have you found getting your music out as a Montreal-based rapper?
Jai: Everything is so saturated. It’s hard to get your music heard period. So I really feel like it’s about time, place and circumstance… and being different, by being yourself. Who you know can really play a huge part of it too. We tend to know more people and outlets within our own cities, so I feel my reach is sometimes hindered by not knowing the right people elsewhere. That being said, Toronto has actually showed me some love and I appreciate it.
DK: What’s your thoughts on the controversy around fellow MTL rappers, Dead Obies being attacked for rapping in French and English?
Jai: It’s silly.
DK: OK. Most outsiders probably share your sentiment that it’s silly to attack the Dead Obies on that basis but obviously the issue is quite serious for some in Quebec. I’m wondering if you have any additional thoughts on the matter? Is this, from a language pov, a source of concern for Francophones who’ve made it an issue analogous to how the rise of Macklemore or Iggy Azalea is for those who see their success as diminishing the role of Black culture or artists in hip-hop?
Jai: I question the motives of whoever criticized Dead Obies for rapping in ‘franglais’ (French and English mixed). I have a hard time believing the criticizer gives a damn about the genre of hip-hop. I think it has other political motivation, and maybe someone just looking for an interesting angle for a story. Regardless, ‘franglais’ is being spoken on the streets all the time, and it only makes sense it would make its way into music, you can’t control that. The Macklemore/Iggy Azalea criticism is different in terms of the magnitude, it involves white privilege, and so many other factors. I also believe that criticism comes from within the hip-hop community, whereas in the case here in Quebec it’s coming from outside the community.
DK: Something You Feel was an amazing album especially because, while you covered a lot of musical ground style wise, it still felt like a cohesive body of work. Can you talk about your goals with the album and how you were able to do that?
Jai: My goal was to make a honest record that really reflected my thoughts and sound. Doing what I love with zero compromise when it came to artistic integrity. Everything happened very organically when it came to creating. It’s really about having a complete vision to how everything connects, from the music to the artwork to the videos…to how you feel. I’m grateful for the way people’s responses have been and how they have connected to it.
DK: The track you produced for Ian Kamau, “You, I” that dropped recently has been buzzing a fair amount. Kamau talked a bit about how the track came about in the PR blurb he blasted the video out with but can you talk about how you came to meet and work with him on the track from your pov.
Jai: The first time I heard of Ian Kamau was the phone message K-Os put on his album. Fast forward to early 2012 while working on the SYF project and I fell on a short doc on him. So I reached out to him and he had heard of me as well. Later, when he came to Montreal we met up and talked at lengths about music and art. When he came back this year I invited him to my home/studio and we made the “You I” song. It happened very naturally and I felt like it was a beautiful song right away. So I brought up shooting a video for it, and a few weeks later went to Toronto and shot the video. We made it happen all within a very short period of time. So it was a great experience, shout out to Ian Kamau!
DK: Your single from THIS ONE GOES TO ELEVEN…, “Pi (Brahma Built)” is also going to be on your forthcoming Acknowledgement mixtape which will actually be your first ever mixtape. Can you talk about the motivation behind the song, why you’ve never done a mixtape before and why you decided to do one now?
Jai: It took me a while to be open to releasing a “mixtape.” I would record over different cats’ productions for fun, usually with no intent to put it out. But the modern-day concept of a mixtape has really changed. Nowadays mix tapes are put together like albums, so it got me open to actually crafting one. It also gives me a chance to sorta acknowledge other cats that I appreciate and draw the connection to what I’m making. So when I heard Stalley‘s “Petrin Hill Peonies” and the way he worked the Charles Bradley sample, I was very inspired to write and had a complete vision for it.
I reached out to a good friend and collaborator, producer/DJ, Shash’U and went to him with the sample, and we recreated it. I laid the vocals down, and started a rough hook with intent to have the very talented Sam I Am Montolla sing it properly. Her style really matched it perfectly in my eyes. Then I’m like damn it would be great to put some visuals to it. I started scouting locations and began the audio/visual journey. The process of crafting the Acknowledgement mixtape was lots of fun for me. I’m used to producing, writing, recording most of what I do so it allowed me play with sh-t differently. It’s about half and half in terms of originals. I’m looking forward to dropping it Sept 5th.
DK: OK, finally: this might be a tough one but I’m wondering how you feel about the demonization of hip-hop around suspected ISIS member and James Foley beheader, Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary who is being labelled in the media as a rapper, ‘former rapper’ or ‘hip-hop jihadist’?
Jai: I’m no expert on this story. It’s a very sad, crazy circumstance. But, it’s curious the way media is playing the angle of him being a “rapper” in all the headlines, like that had something to do with his actions. If in fact he is the right guy. I think there are plenty of other things they could focus on that may have triggered this insane behavior. I always find it funny when hip-hop gets portrayed as a one-dimensional evil villain. Hip-hop music is a cultural medium that reflects society as a whole with many unique perspectives. Sadly, the music industry and media tends to only give you the negative one, which actually then fuels more of the same. It becomes a cycle and a sort of twisted formula that artists coming up often feel that they need to comply with in order to get attention. My hope is that, as the music industry continues to move in an independent direction, we’ll start hearing that unfiltered variety of music that is underrepresented in mainstream Hip Hop today.
DK: Thanks for your time, Jai and thanks for the “Pi (Brahma Built)” track for the comp.
Didn’t hear “Pi (Brahma Built)” yet? Click play right here or on the video above (then check out the THIS ONE GOES TO ELEVEN… album):
Song Credits:
Written by Jai Nitai Lotus & Sam I Am Montolla
Produced by Shash”U
Cover Art Design by Tiffany Pilgrim for Tiffany Pilgrim Art & Design
Audio mastering by Neil McDonald & Paul Kehayas for Echosound Studiolab
Follow Jai Nitai Lotus online: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
[News] #DK11 Project: Interview with Carolyn and Pasobionic of Audego
What can I say about Melbourne, Australia’s Audego? I discovered this trip hop electronic soul duo while doing a little side gig hustle screening submissions for NXNE this year and I have been a committed fan ever since checking out both of their shows when they flew halfway around the world to perform twice at NXNE, at one venue literally on my block and then at one two blocks away from me. How could I not ask them to contribute a track to the This One Goes to Eleven… album under those circumstances??
Luckily they said yes and I’m glad they did. Their track, “Gone” is not only incredible but is undeniably the hit of the compilation so far racking up over 8,000 plays on Soundcloud to date. I can’t say enough good things about Carolyn and Paso. Not only are they amazing musicians and really chill people, those cool day count banners I used during the 11 day roll-out campaign? Thank Paso for those too. Anyway, I wish them all the best but based on their talent and tremendous karma, I don’t think they need my wishes. It was great to talk with them about their music though which you can read here:
DK: I’ve seen Audego described as doing future soul but listening to your second album reminds me lot of Portishead at times. However Carolyn, your stated vocal influences tends more towards 90s R&B singers like Brandy and Whitney Houston which some might find surprising based on the sound of your music. Can you talk about how those singers inform your music now and what your other musical inspirations or reference points are?
Carolyn: Growing up, I was surrounded by such diverse music. My parents were really into Queen, Joe Cocker, Michael Jackson and Billy Joel, so I listened to those guys a lot growing up, and I still love all of them. My brothers got me into Nirvana and Silverchair later. I definitely listened to a lot of RnB when I was a teenager, but I was also really into Fiona Apple and Aretha Franklin and then later I got into Billie Holiday and the Andrews Sisters. Basically, I don’t doubt that I have been influenced in some way or another by all of the singers I’ve been obsessed with over my life, but my tone is what it is. I sound like me and I definitely don’t want to sound like anyone else.
Voices are such personal things and are the result of your genetic makeup, your own creative directions and the amount of substance abuse you’ve subjected it to. My voice would be so different if I hadn’t smoked so much. I think I just sound like me. I try not to listen to other singers that much now because I really don’t want to adopt any of their stylistic behaviors. I would like to sound as unique as I can.
DK: Paso, I hear a lot of hip-hop influences in your sound, big drum beats and loops, samples and even scratching. Are you a hip-hop fan and which acts do you listen to?
Paso: I listened to hip hop exclusively from around age 8 to around my late teens. I first got into Run DMC, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, all those early Def Jam acts. The song that really tipped me over the edge was Public Enemy‘s ‘Terminator X to the Edge of Panic.’ From the cut up intro to (what I thought was) a boiling kettle whistle looped in the background [ed note: actually a great sample chop of James Brown side group, The JB‘s “The Grunt”] to Chuck‘s attitude and Flav‘s comic asides, I was totally blown away. I had never heard anything like it. That raw energy and abstract wall of noise left a lasting impression. Production wise I am most influenced by the The Bomb Squad, Prince Paul, Primo and RZA.
DK: OK, that makes sense. “Fight” and “From My Blue” were the first songs I heard from you guys off your last (second) album, Beneath the Static and the Low and they seem to be the tracks getting the most attention. Can you talk about how that album differs from your debut album?
Carolyn: I think “Liar” has actually gotten the most plays out of all of our tracks, but “Fight” and “From My Blue” are definitely getting some love too. Beneath the Static… is a lot more polished than Abominable Galaxy. We took a lot more care in its inception. I rushed into a lot of decisions vocally in Abominable Galaxy, which made me cringe later. I think Abominable Galaxy is a lot darker production wise and lyrically too.
Paso: On Abominable Galaxy I was just excited to be making music with Carolyn! Being a new partnership we only had a vague idea of what our sound was. I had just started using a new program and was starting to mess with synth plug-ins. With Beneath the Static… I knew my tools better. We put more thought into crafting ‘songs’ as opposed to making beats with singing. We experimented with different song structures (e.g. “Fractures”‘ build-/crescendo-fade out). We had a clearer idea of what our sound could be. The guiding catch phrase for Beneath the Static… was ‘future noir’.
DK: You said when we met up last in June at NXNE that you guys had more fans in the US and Canada than your native Australia. Why do you think that is?
Paso: It’s been the US and Canadian blogs that have given us some shine that’s really helped. I don’t know of many beats/electronic/new music focused blogs in Australia that have followings that big. Maybe it’s just a numbers thing, there are a whole lot more people over there!
Carolyn: Also, I just think we don’t fit in to the music scene here. Australia is really into barbeque friendly, sunshine, party music and we’re not that. Australia also really loves to support male vocalists. It’s much harder to get love if you’re a female vocalist in Australia. But we’re so grateful that we’re finding our niche overseas.
DK: I know “Gone” comes from a pretty dark place in terms of what inspired it and your music has quite a dark, blue feeling in general. Can you share what inspired the song and if you find more inspiration tapping into those darker feelings or moods than more lighthearted subject matter?
Carolyn: Emotionally I can be pretty stunted. I tend to hide behind inappropriate jokes and sarcasm and don’t really communicate properly. Music is a great avenue to express things that are too much for me to cope with. “Gone” is about losing someone to addiction and watching them slowly kill themselves. I was making myself sick with sadness from that situation and it was just festering internally until I wrote “Gone.” Songwriting can be a sort of exorcism.
The track actually started off quite chipper melodically; it was in a bed of harmonies that were arranged in a major scale, then Paso flipped it on it’s back by writing the arrangement in the relative minor, which he always does by accident, but it’s such a cool mistake to make. So, the track became quite grim sounding, which is suitable for the lyrical content.
DK: “Gone” and another track, “Moments” you gave KCRW are from your forthcoming album. Are they indicative of how that album will sound and if not, can you share any details on how the rest of the album will sound, how it is different from Beneath the Static… and when can we expect it?
Paso: I think those two songs are a fair indication of how the new album will sound. We’re still in the very early stages though, writing as much as we can. We don’t yet have the concept nailed down. It’s like we’re speeding along in a manual car and we’ve gone to change gear but haven’t quite engaged yet.
Carolyn: Yeah, it’s still definitely taking its shape. We don’t have a predetermined concept for the whole album. We like to let the songs happen naturally.
DK: “Gone” has become the break out track of the compilation which is ironic since it is one of only two tracks on there that aren’t hip-hop. Thank you for sharing it with the DK readers early. Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap this up?
Carolyn: Just thank you for letting us be a part of the album! We love Different Kitchen and are really excited to be involved with the compilation.
Paso: Thanks, DK for your support!
DK: Thank you, guys!
Haven’t heard “Gone” yet? Hit play below (then GO HERE to listen to the entire THIS ONE GOES TO ELEVEN… album):
Song Credits:
Written & Produced by Carolyn Tariq, Shehab Tariq
Cover Art Design Tiffany Pilgrim for Tiffany Pilgrim Art & Design
Audio mastering by Neil McDonald & Paul Kehayas for Echosound Studiolab
[MP3 + Interview] J.Nolan – Deluxe Edition
Gotta give the homie, J.Nolan mad props. He took getting down with the #DK11 THIS ONE GOES TO ELEVEN… album real serious and hustled to get his contribution to the album, a track titled “Deluxe Edition” on all kinds of blogs and sites. Shouts to DJBooth.net, All In A Day’s Work, CWMuzik, AyeBro, TOAN Magazine, Unheard Voices and all the other sites I may have missed for supporting the song.
We’ve been supporting ATL-based, J.Nolan for going on 6 years now here and on the old version of The Kitchen site so it was an honor, as with all the acts on the #DK11 comp, to have him be a part of the album. I asked him a few questions about the “Deluxe Edition” track and his prior work and this is the result:
DK: I can’t remember how I came across it now but The Up-Bringing 2.0 was the first music by you I heard and supported on the site. The title alone suggests that was not your first full length project? How long had you been making music at that point?
Jamar: That project was done in my 3rd year of actually recording music. The original Upbringing was an EP made exclusively for Myspace when the 5 track limit was still there, so we wanted to expand on that idea and gain some traction with the follow-up.
DK: Back in 2010 we premiered your Broken Dreams album as part of our Connoisseurs of Culture series. Looking back on that album what comes to mind and what are your recollections of making that album?
Jamar: Broken Dreams was my purest body of work, still to this day. I had just accepted God into my life and I was still young enough to not be bogged down from the business aspect of music. I recorded that album at my cousin, Yung B Da Producer‘s place in Colorado. The good ol’ days.
DK: You’re from Atlanta which nowadays is known for a very particular style of hip-hop which you don’t happen to do. Is it hard to be an artist whose sound could be described as more traditional, classic style hip hop living in the A?
Jamar: I’m originally from Connecticut, so that’s where I had my first encounters with music. My family only stayed a few years, but I always embraced the entire east coast sound because it reminded me of home. The Atlanta audience respects my craft, but I’m learning how to adapt my craft for those that may not listen to boom bap type records. My next project will showcase that.
DK: The opening ad-lib, “It’s that Rosenberg type stuff right here…” is a reference to Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg, right? Did you shout him because he’s a champion of the kind of style of hip-hop you do?
Jamar: Well, I wrote the song around the time Hot 97’s Ebro was making his “Minors vs. Majors” declaration to everyone. At that time Rosenberg was still arguing on the behalf of traditional Hip-Hop at Hot 97 so yeah, I figured “Deluxe Edition” was the type of song he’d probably step up for.
DK: I also heard a reference to Jim Duggan on the track. Are you a pro wrestling fan? You know, ironically Rosenberg is apparently a massive wrestling fan too?
Jamar: Yeah, I’m a fan of pro wrestling too. I’m not as up to date as he is with the current cast of characters though, but I’ve always indulged.
DK: “Deluxe Edition” has been really well received and been picked up by a few other blogs. Can you talk a little about what the track is about and what the process was like making it?
Jamar: That song is about a year old, I’ve been performing it locally since last fall. Reese Jones and I formed a duo called The Humble Legends and that was one of the marquee songs I knew people would respond to. The concept of it was inspired by the deluxe version of albums being more coveted than the standard version, so I wanted to make a song that people regard as above the standard. I was listening to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx quite a bit at the time, too. You can tell by my choice of words on the record.
DK: It’s also slated to be on one of your upcoming projects. Can you talk a little about what that project is and when we can expect it?
Jamar: It’s gonna be on The Humble Legends full-length, Keep it Cordial. Reese and I have a great chemistry as a duo. People can expect that early next year. I have a promotional mixtape called Loose Files 2 coming in October for those that can’t wait.
DK: I haven’t really asked many of the other artists on the comp about this but the Ferguson situation around the murder of Michael Brown doesn’t seem to be abating. As a young black man whose been given this gift of being able to express yourself through the platform of music, do you have any personal opinions on what’s going on there or thoughts on how the hip hop creative community has addressed the situation so far?
Jamar: The Ferguson situation is disgusting to me, personally. I grew up being warned to be careful while out with friends just because we’re black. This is essentially what my elders warned me about, so it’s really disheartening. I don’t even understand why the police and national guard are at the site at this point [ed note: this interview was conducted a while ago when the National Guard were still in Ferguson]. All they have to do is leave and let the community nurse their wounds, man. Hip-Hop can’t do anything for those residents besides show gratitude for their courage. Ferguson is Hip-Hop, they don’t need some artist to put on a cape. But if anything, let’s actually display the struggles of our people instead of doing tribute songs one day out of the year. How about artists get back to speaking our truth as a culture?
DK: Thanks. Any final thoughts or things you want to share before we wrap up?
Jamar: Thank you for having me on the comp! Loose Files 2 is coming this October. Artists seeking a platform for their music can also check out the podcast I co-host called Fresh & Local Radio. Much love and respect!
DK: OK, that’s it! Thanks, Jamar.
Haven’t heard “Deluxe Edition” yet? Check it out right here:
Song credits:
Written by Jamar Nolan
Produced by Reese Jones
Audio mastering by Neil McDonald & Paul Kehayas for Echosound Studiolab
Art by Tiffany Pilgrim for Tiffany Pilgrim Art Direction & Graphic Design
Follow J.Nolan Online: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Somehow missed listening to the THIS ONE GOES TO ELEVEN… album? CLICK HERE to hear it in FULL.
[News] #DK11 Project: Interview With Rapper, Noah Vinson
The Kitchen has been a supporter of Bronx native, Noah Vinson for a while now ever since we stumbled upon his mixtape, The Life almost two years ago in our submissions inbox. Since then he’s proven to be an adept MC who can handle himself over new school, minimalist trap feeling tracks or classic style hip hop beats alike.
We were honored to premiere his single “Nation” featuring long time collaborator, Frank Ramz last year so of course, we had to ask him to be a part of the #DK11 project and contribute a track to the This One Goes To Eleven… comp. He gave us a banger of a track called “Ex” featuring singer, Isis Ash, a track he said was:
“Based on real life occurrences. I know a lot of guys who could identify with this type of situation so I thought it’d be a great idea to turn the tables. Often you hear records like this from a woman’s perspective and more often it tends to be a negative reaction. A lot of times people break up with their significant others and it’s a negative response but it doesn’t really always have to be. Sometimes you end on a positive note through it all. I never heard anything like that before in song format so I thought it’d be a interesting take on a breakup song where, I’m not wrong, she’s not wrong and I’m not constantly demonizing her or placing blame. Sometimes no one is to blame.”
You see? Grown person themes over a beat that both bangs and has a sophisticated arrangement & song construction. Check that breakdown and gospel house style piano coda at the end of the track1 I’d love to hear “Ex” done live with a proper band some time. Get them soul claps going and while you are, get onto our conversation with Noah:
DK: I was a big fan of your mixtape album, The Life. Tell me about making that album and how you think you’ve evolved as a person and artist since then
Noah: The Life was a good turning point in my life, at that point I was still kind of playing with the sound that I wanted to go for. I had some damn good recordings on there, and at the time working with the team I was working with I was having a lot of fun, and I feel like that’s where I really found my sound. I feel like now things are so next level with my music, my perspective on things in life have changed so all of that effects what you hear today. The Life was good, but It’s really only getting better from here on out.
DK: Frank Ramz is a frequent collaborative partner of yours. Tell me about what it’s like working with him, and your relationship?
Noah: Well the first time I worked with Frank Ramz, was actually on The Life album, he was on “H.I.H (Humans In Hollywood)” alongside Rich-P, and ever since then we just been working more and more and more. He’s become one of my favorite artist and one of my favorite people to work with, he’s a good dude, dedicated and one of the best rappers I’ve had the pleasure of working with so far in my career. So we decided to do a project together, it should be dropping this September, its called …And The Phone Was On Silent. I know Frank and a lot of people on twitter have taken to calling it Watch The Phone (laughs). I look at Ramz like a big brother in this rap sh*t, and just a overall good friend.
DK: There are 2 other Bronx NY artist, Mickey Factz and Joel (fka MaG) on the album which I’m happy but bummed about at the same time since I was a Brooklyn head when I lived in NY and there’s no BK artist on it, Do you know those guys and what does being from BX mean to you as a hip-hop artist and as a person?
Noah: I know about Mickey Factz. I don’t know about Joel, but I’ll check him out when I get the chance. I don’t know them personally but at one point I was a big fan of Factz, I think he’s super talented, and a smart individual. I follow his facebook account we often have a lot in common in terms of perspective and the type of things that we are interested in, (like anime, movies, games, etc.). I take pride in where I’m from and in what I’m doing with Frank collectively for the borough itself. Usually cats that come from where I’m from its Trap Music, and I feel like its so dope that we’ve chosen to do the opposite. There are a lot of REAL artist here and I’m proud to represent what I feel like is a borough forgotten. I like being the underdog. In reality I’m doing this for Noah Vinson, and I’m repping New York City. Period.
DK: Your track, “Ex” from This One Goes To Eleven… is also going to be on a forthcoming project of yours called Young & Proud but you also just dropped that new “On God” track from the …And The Phone Was On Silent Noah Vinson & Frank Ramz collab project. Can you talk a little about what each project is about and how they differ from one another?
Noah: Young & Proud is a little deeper than my up & coming project which is why I’ve kind’ve put my new project in the spotlight. Young & Proud is in a very delicate stage right now, the songs & content are very emotional and a more personal side of me: my thoughts, and the lives of the people around me. …And The Phone Was On Silent is more like a fantasy draft, like, “What if two of the most dangerous emcees coming out of the same area did a mixtape together?” It’s a different feel, it’s different music and all around engaging from start to finish so I’m very proud of the outcome thus far. “On God” was a complete GEM and we at the last moment decided to include it on our project. Ramz sent me the beat with his verse on it and then send it to ReQ and Wordsmiff and we all just made magic happen. They dropped it on Sunday (the Lord’s Day, get it?) which I thought was cool so I sent it to the people directly and within under 72 hours it got a lot of love from the twitter community so I appreciate and Love everyone who’s been rocking with us so far.
DK: Rockin’ with you no doubt! I know it’s a long time into the future but where do you want music, yours or the music industry as a whole, to go in the next 11 years?
Noah: Well we all know where the music industry is headed right now (laughs) as far as my music goes and where my catalog stands with all that is going on, I feel like I want it to be stand alone and actually WORTH something. I want my work to be well-valued, I want my recordings and lyrics to be valued more than anything. I want my core fans to be proud of the what we’ve accomplished, ten, twenty years from now. I may not live forever but these records will, and I want us to make an impact on the world as a whole through the poetry, through the art, and through the rhythm we create.
Haven’t heard “Ex” yet? The click play:
Want to hear Noah’s latest heater, “On God”? Hit the jump then CLICK HERE for the THIS ONE GOES TO ELEVEN… album featuring the single, “Ex” if you’ve somehow managed to miss it so far.
[MP3 + Interview] Joel. Feat. Arthur Lewis – Make It In America
Today’s feature interview from the This One Goes To Eleven… comp is a two-fer: Joel. (the Bronx-based hip-hop artist formerly known at MaG) has long been a fixture around these parts but Arthur Lewis, the featured artist on his amazing and heartfelt track fro the comp, “Make It In America” has also been a favorite here at The Kitchen even though his discography is shorter by comparison with Joel’s.
I had wanted to get a solo track from Arthur for the #DK11 album project but sadly, it didn’t work out. Luckily it turned out he was working with Joel. and one of the best tracks he submitted to me for consideration for the comp was one featuring Arthur so I jumped on it immediately. Find out how these two became connected in interviews I conducted separately with both of them (hit the jump to read Arthur’s interview and to hear & get a free download of “Far Side of Town” from his excellent, If We Were EP.)
DK: I’ve been a fan of yours since your $5 Cover EP on Kevin Nottingham’s Hipnott records. First questions are: how did you link up with him and who was G.C. & do you still work with him?
Joel: Well, first off, I appreciate that. The relationship with Kevin and the site started with my first project, Reaganomics. I had just gotten back from Florida, and was new to the whole music blogging and digital music scene. I uploaded it to a zip. file and sent it to KN.com. I had been doing a search of Hip-Hop music sites and his spoke to me the most. He posted the project immediately and we just built from there.
I became an active participant in the comments section of the site, and would enter any of the emcee sponsored contest the site would offer. G.C. was under the Hipnott roster. Kev thought we’d be a good fit, and he was right. G.C. had just released a beat tape. I chose some records off of that and recorded from there. I haven’t heard from G.C. in years, to be honest. We were actually supposed to get together to do another project with the site, but it never materialized. I hope he’s good.
DK: If you had to compare $5 cover, I Ain’t Goin’ Back To Retail!, The Freedom FreEP and the unreleased collection that DK co-presented w/ Refined Hype, MaG & the B-Sides, how would you say each differs from the others and which one was your favorite?
Joel: Man, it’s as different as middle school, high school, college, graduating and getting a job and a crib and a lady, ya’ know? Each project after the next was just showing the growth via the recording, the production, the lyrical content. All of it. You can hear the changes. I was learning myself and my craft on the fly. I didn’t have someone like a lot of these other cats did, who was already in the game or had been a recording artist before and had guidance in that aspect. And each project serves as a time capsule for me; a big ass journal. They’re all different colors of the rainbow, each reflective of exactly where I was in my space at the time.
To pick a favorite is so hard. But, if I had to pick one, it might have to be I Ain’t Goin’ Back to Retail! It served as the litmus test for me. I felt like I had a lot to say after leaving NYC for a spell. Also, it was so heavily influenced by Dilla’s Donuts. The sound of the project was all Dilla. And it kinda shaped where I knew I wanted to go as an artist. After Retail, I started feeling really comfortable in who I was, and wanted to be, as an artist.
DK: I Ain’t Going to Back Retail! might actually be my favorite of your albums too. Going back to play it to prepare for this interview, it still stands up as a great sounding record. I had a question about it though: does that title have a double meaning? The first being the sentiment of “I’m not going back to the crappy retail jobs” and the second, “I’m taking my music/art to directly the Internet and bypassing the traditional music retail channels” or is that me just reading too much into it?
Joel: Kinda. sorta lol. I wanted it to be symbolic of anyone feeling stuck in a role they never chose for themselves. You aren’t just a mom, or a writer, or an emcee or chef or actor. We assign these roles to ourselves but that’s not who WE are, you know? I wasn’t really thinking in regards to the actual way it was released, but in a way, the mindset was exactly that. No, this is a new era in music. We don’t have to follow the rules and guidelines and precedents of what it means to release music now. We can forgo it all and just do what we want.
DK: Your music often has a very political slant, e.g. “Miss Neuroleans” on $5 and even “Make It In America” which is also a very emotionally personal at the same time. Do you find it challenging to make that kind of music in a market place that seems to largely eschew it?
Joel: Not at all. I don’t pay attention to the market, or mainstream radio or the like. For me, it’s just more important to speak from a place of my truth, ya’ know? What I feel, what I’m seeing and experiencing. For me, I HAVE to speak about the things I speak about because they affect me. So Katrina is a part of my world. Ferguson is a part of my world. Vulnerability and death and living in the hood are all a part of my world. To ignore those parts would be me ignoring myself, and that’s never an option.
DK: OK. Jumping to the featured guest performer, Arthur Lewis on your track, “Make It In America”, I had actually approached Arthur separately about contributing his own track to the album but circumstances didn’t allow for it. Luckily he was on a couple tracks from your forthcoming album which I took as a good sign that we were all on the same creative page and you were gracious enough to offer one of them up for the comp. How did you link up with Arthur and can you talk about the creative process behind making “Make It In America?”
Joel: So Arthur is a good friend of mine. We perform a lot together in NYC, mainly with the Melting Pot, a group of very talented artists and musicians who come together at Pianos every month and just play our music for folks. I actually found Arthur’s music about 4 years ago on BamaLoveSoul.com. Listened to the project and just knew I was going to, and needed to, work with him. Found his contact info on Myspace, went to see him perform with the original members of The Melting Pot and it’s been magic ever since.
With “Make It In America,” as with a majority of the music, I don’t really have a concept in mind. The hook will come first. If it doesn’t I leave the record be. I had the beat from the homie, Kuddie Fresh. And the melody came, and followed that with the lyrics. Arthur was the only person I could imagine singing on that record. He came in to the studio and just did what he does. He added extra harmonies and that was that.
DK: That forthcoming album is called Songs For Charles, right? Can you talk about it in terms of where you are creatively now versus on your previous releases and what people can expect from it?
Joel: I’m just trying to be as honest and as forthcoming with myself and my art as possible. I spent time being afraid of being myself in totality because I wasn’t sure if it would be received well. Once I let that notion go, I felt more alive. And Songs For Charles sprang from that. Me still finding and nurturing this new voice of mine I’ve found.
Folks can expect me to be candid, to be a little more detailed about my past growing up. They should expect me to take some risks. I wanted to challenge myself more so than I have in the past with this project. Also, my homie, Joe Rogers executive produced the project, and he did a really great job of pushing and me trying to find the real emotion behind some of the tracks. We went real old-school with the recording. A lot of times I wouldn’t even be punching in verses and hooks; we’d go straight-through for a whole take. It helped keep some of the authenticity of the music intact. Overall, it was just a beautiful experience. I’m excited for folks to hear it.
DK: I asked the other two BX representers on the comp this question too: There are 2 other Bronx NY artist, Mickey Factz and Noah Vinson, on the album which I’m happy but bummed about at the same time since I was a Brooklyn head when I lived in NY and there’s no BK artist on it. Do you know those guys and what does being from BX mean to you as a hip-hop artist and as a person?
Joel: Well, Mickey I’m aware of. The BX is everything. It inhabits the art. I grew up Creston Ave. I saw things that I don’t think the average kid growing doesn’t get to. I learned a lot from the Bronx. It’s shaped all of my art: theater, poetry, music. I think there’s a certain difference in artists that come from the Bronx. Our stories are similar to those from other boroughs, but different in so many ways. Every borough has a story, but our pride is different because the Bronx is often considered the “forgotten borough”. My goal is to help create a new image of the Bronx, through art and community participation.
DK: Final question: you used to go by MaG™ but now you go by your given name, Joel. Why the change?
Joel: My momma gave me the name Joel. Joel Leon. There is meaning behind the name. And she’s always been in my ear “this is the name I gave you. It’s special. Use it.” And around late 2012, I read an article about Mos Def going back to his given name, Yasiin Bey. And it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to go out to non-musical events with my musical friends and introduce myself as anyone other than Joel, which is what I had been doing in the past, except for real close friends and family. It just felt silly. So with the release of Freedom, in January I came out for a performance and said “some folks call me MaG. Ya’ll can call me Joel”. It felt freeing. The moment just felt right. I’m very much the “do what feels right intuitively” type. So, deciding to let go of the MaG name felt like real “freedom”, so to speak. So now, it’s Joel. Just me.
DK: Thanks for your time, Joel. It’s been an honor to have you be a part of this project.
Haven’t heard “Make It In America” yet? Here it goes:
Song credits:
Written by Joel L. Daniels
Produced by Trey Hemingway
Audio mastering by Echosound Studiolab
Art by Tiffany Pilgrim for Tiffany Pilgrim Art Direction & Graphic Design
Follow Joel. Online: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Haven’t played the This One Goes To Eleven… album yet? GO HERE and while you’re doing that, hit the jump to read the interview with Arthur.