Ian
[MP3] Johnny Cinco – Trappin & Rappin
Just finished watching season 5 of The Wire so this song by Atlanta rapper, Johnny Cinco seems apropos right now! Thanks, Sledge for the heads up.
[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
[MP3] The Game – Don’t Shoot Feat. Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Diddy, Fabolous, Wale, DJ Khaled, Swizz Beatz…
“I got my hands up, what else am I supposed to do??”
Actually not a bad record. All talk and no action though or enough to silence critics who say, “What is hip-hop doing about the Mike Brown/Ferguson?“
[Music Video] G-Unit – Ahhh Sh-t
The audio on 50 and G-unit‘s commentary on the Mike Brown/Ferguson situation dropped last week. Now here’s goes the video. Track also on G-Unit’s just released new EP, The Beauty of Independence which you can download HERE.
Also, order Young Buck‘s Mike Brown shirts HERE – all proceeds will go to Michael Brown’s memorial fund (supposedly!).
Also on The Kitchen:
– “Black Rage” – Lauryn Hill‘s commentary on Ferguson.
[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
#DK11: The album, This One Goes To Eleven… OUT NOW
