tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532830659867404404.post2512202220883010341..comments2024-03-06T03:34:02.844-05:00Comments on Werner von Wallenrod's Humble, Little Hip-Hop Blog: Dirty Jersey Week, Day 7: Tony D's EminemWerner von Wallenrodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04102856408266833762noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1532830659867404404.post-84301815153350867602017-05-01T14:14:08.486-04:002017-05-01T14:14:08.486-04:00Peace! Thanks for including this record in your Di...Peace! Thanks for including this record in your Dirty Jersey Week.<br /><br />Tony D started the label Cha-Ching label itself as a response to us not being able to get our collaborative project on any major labels. I paid for 50% of our Skylab costs and the stickers, he footed the bill for the vinyl. So it was absolutely not a situation of him trying to put me onto his label because I sounded like Eminem, it was us working side-by-side to get our project signed since early 97 and having to release it independently as a last resort. That sticker on the album I created and printed out and cut with scissors myself at triangle arts off of Route 1. We'd tried Profile, we had sat in the office with Kevon Glickman, we had thrown everything at it but the kitchen sink- and in the end, released this vinyl. Low-Key did the label's logo, I drew the "Play it or Die" cartoon flyers, ect. It was very difficult to get that vinyl recognized. I was performing many of the songs live for well over a year before we recorded them. "I'm Pathetic," and "That's What's Up" were the last songs recorded out of about 20. There's no doubt an Eminem flavor to the "I'm Pathetic" song in particular, but to add context, we were recording it in the exact same building with Chris Schwartz and Kevon Glickman had their offices, Studio 4, where Lauren Hill might come in and sweatpants to get some items, Where the Outsidaz would be freely coming in to record. The majority of the G.O.D. album was recorded before Eminem was known to us, none of us knew about the Slim Shady EP. And as you'll hear the majority of the God album sounds nothing like him. Artists like Kaaos can confirm we did the majority of this project without Em's influence, he was working on the chorus with me and Tony for the song Bare Essentials in that studio 4 a year before we'd heard of Eminem. So the song itself predates Eminem, but the delivery certainly is with respect to his success. I was more influenced by the battle styles of Punchline and Wordsworth, and the Outsidaz themselves, so you could say me and Eminem might have had the same source material. <br /><br />Before then, 97-98 I would be out in Philly on second street at what was then known as the blue funk café, performing "I'm Pathetic" live as spoken word on the same set as a young, Unsigned Musiq Soul Child in a much different delivery style. I have video. It was during those years that B-Fyne was also promoting a cassette and we would bump into each other from time to time at places in Philly like "The Edge." <br />So the interesting thing about our first project together, is Tony D and I started work on it at the end of 96/early 97 way way way before we had heard anything about Eminem, and by the time we had released the music, Eminem was a major star. <br /><br />Randy Alexander, a journalist well known for the music section of the Trenton times did a huge spread about the project I was working on with Tony D back in September of 98. I have copies. Months and months before the "my name is" video dropped and Eminem's name doesn't get mentioned once, even though it's an article about white rappers, and the Slim Shady EP technically had been released. It's interesting to go back and read that article and what he was saying about our collaboration before the world knew about Eminem.<br /><br />So if that slept-on 12-inch identifies me as Tony-D's Eminem, I suppose thats better than Tony D's Vanilla Ice. B.u.t. I know I was more than that to Tony before and after that slept on single. So if I was his Eminem, it was only for a minute. <br /><br />Peace!! Thanks for including me- I'm always flattered and pleased when you consider my music and I'm very glad you do the same for other lesser known artists from Jersey and elsewhere, Keep up the great work!Shawn Lovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15761391674168302390noreply@blogger.com