Keep Your Head Up, Paula Perry Interview

We first heard Paula Perry as a member of Masta Ace, INC, where she proved to be far more than simply a token female crew member. She struck out on her own with her debut single "Paula's Jam," which was a monster underground hit. And she soon released a slew of singles, including "Extra, Extra" produced by Premier. She eventually wound up on Motown Records, but her album, Tales From Fort Knox, got lost in the system. But she's stayed in the game, and fifteen years later, you'll find that there might be hope for Tales yet, and she's got a hell of a story to tell...

So to start, tell us how you first got started in hip-hop, making that transition from just a listener to doing it yourself.

Well, me bein' young and rapping outside the jams and stuff like that, you know. And Eric B & Rakim came to Fort Greene back in those days. And that kinda made me wanna become a full-fledged rapper. Because he, Eric B, was semi-managing me and my old partner. So that's how it started, really. But you know, it wasn't something that I really took seriously back then until I met Masta Ace.

And how did you meet him?

I met him through a friend of mine. He was telling me he was looking for a female rapper and stuff like that. So he called me to his house one day; and I rapped for Ace and he took it from there.

Is that how Lord Digga came in, too?

I think him and Lord Digga had went to high school together. So that's how they met. I'm not sure how he started rapping, but they knew each other for a long time before that.

I don't know if you've heard, but a label called Chopped Herring has been putting out the tracks Master Ace's unreleased second album, the one he would've recorded for Cold Chillin'.

Oh yeah?

Yeah, and you have a track on there.

I have a track on there? That was the first time... When I first met Ace, he was still on Cold Chillin'. So he did record an album. But I don't actually remember recording anything for that album specifically. Anything he might have on there would just be something he did outside of the album.  I have to find out about that.

Oh ok, so that was separate?

Right, right. To my knowledge.

Wait, I've got the record here. It was called... "Kick it On the One" [on Shelf Life vol. 1].

Oh! "Kick it On the One." Mm-hm. That was like the first recording I had with him. No album. That was like a demo, or maybe it was for like one of Mister Cee's freestyle tapes.

So you were already there with him for the shift from Warner Brothers to Delicious Vinyl.

Yeah. I was working with him in the studio, but I wasn't with him behind the scenes, as far as like or the office meetings, anything like that.

So as part of the INC, were you really considered, like would the label have considered you a member? Were you signed with them?

No, and that's something that I didn't really understand back then. You know, I was young and there was a lot about the business side I didn't truly understand. So actually we were on the records, but we never really got paid for being on the record. We just got paid for going on tours and doing shows with him.

But at least the touring must've been pretty successful, right? Because "Born To Roll" had sort of opened him up to the west coast and more of the rest of the country outside New York...

Mm-hm. Yeah, we did do a lot of touring. Like I said, you know, it was a lot of underhanded stuff that Masta Ace was doing that wasn't quite fair to the INC.

Another thing I wanted to ask you about with The INC, or the Action Posse. was Ice U Rock. You hardly hear anything about them.

Right. And they were actually part of the INC before me and Lord Digga was. Both of them was rapping, Ice and Uneek, and I think one of them started making beats. But after me and Lord Digga came on the scene... You know, everybody was in the crew, but they weren't traveling or anything with us.

Oh, like they wouldn't be on the tour?

No, nope. And even Steadypace. Remember, he had Steadypace DJing for him first, and he had that changed up... I never really knew what happened with that situation.

After he left Delicious Vinyl?

Yeah. Sittin' On Chrome he was around more.

So would you still be working with Masta Ace these days? It sounds like not.

No.

So, when you came out with "Paula's Jam," that came out first through INC then again on Loose Change, right? Well, first of all, what even was Loose Change exactly? Who ran it?

Loose Change was an existing label, the president was Lisa Cortes, she did the movie Precious; she executive produced that movie. And, you know, I don't think it was a real good label for me to be on, because they were going through their problems. And of course the label folded... which shifted me to Mercury. And then something happened with Mercury, and then that shifted me to Motown.

What did happen with Mercury?

I'm not sure, but something happened where everybody got fired off the label. A lot of people lost their jobs. And they merged.

So back to when you came out with "Paula's Jam," were you like...

Signed? No. I didn't have a deal yet quite yet. So he decided to put a white label on me. And actually the labels were calling my house directly. People would give them my phone number, and they were trying to have a bidding war with me over the phone. I let Ace know, and at first he didn't really believe it. I had to put it to his attention: labels wanted to sign me to a deal. And like the next couple of weeks, that's when we started going up to labels, and I got my deal.

But I think, if I wouldn't have brought it to his attention... I think he knew, but I don't think he was planning on getting me a deal that quick. Of course he wanted me to still be with the INC and travel with him on his tours; but yet I wasn't getting paid off the album.

So then when you landed with Motown, that must've been sort of a weird situation, too. Because up 'till then, they had sort of an unusual relationship with hip-hop. It took them ages to start signing acts, and then it was always more pop stuff like Wrecks-N-Effect or Doc Box and B Fresh...

Yeah, it was weird. A lot of people up there. The only person who really knew what they were doing up there with hip-hop were Mister Cee and Shakim, Latifah's manager. You know, with Shakim and Mister Cee, there was a lot of competition going on with me and her album and stuff like that. Me and her are long time friends, but you know, in this business there was a lot of bullshit going on.

The reason why my album never came out with Motown - and I'm letting this out now; you're the first one I'm telling this to - is because they gave my money for my promotion to Laitifah for her deal. by the time the were ready to release my second single, I didn't have no money in my budget to promote. On top of that, Mister Cee stole fifty thousand dollars out of my budget.

Yikes!

And then you have Masta Ace, he had the promotion payments. He was taking money. They were giving him like ten grand a month to do the promotions and stuff. He wasn't doing anything.

So between Mister Cee... Shakim & Latifah and them... And Masta Ace... My deal fucked up. Excuse my French. I'm not gonna be quiet about it.

So, when you did "Getta Grip Muthaphuckas" on MIster Cee, was that during that time too?

Oh, that was way before that. That was before I even had the deal. So, you know this business... With Mister Cee, I haven't spoken to him in years; I haven't spoken to Master Ace in years. So it was like the greed. And in the end it was so messed up because a lo of labels didn't really want to deal with Masta Ace because of his activities, you know. So they were telling me to get off of Masta Ace's - because I was signed to his production deal. so they wanted me to get off his production deal in order to even deal with me. Def Jam included; they wanted me bad. But they didn't wanna deal with him.

And I guess you couldn't get away from him because of contracts, is that right?

Yeah, because of the contracts. My lawyers told me to get off him, but I couldn't bring myself to  do it really until when I got to Motown I realized, wow. You know? I knew they were jerkin' me all along, but I didn't know to what extent it was.

So not to get too dark here, but when did you realize that Tales From Fort Knox wasn't actually going to come out? Because it got pretty close, it was even reviewed in magazines.

I realized that after Kedar [Massenburg] took over. After he took over and he let Jay-Z and Bleek and all of them get in there and do what they wanted to do, you know, I knew that was it.

And then a couple of the tracks from the album came out on a label called Buds Distribution...

Oh yeah, yeah. I was dealing with Lyvio [R. Gay]. Just really "Six Pack" and "BQE." Everything else was outside the album. I didn't put out anything else off the album.  I knew the album wasn't coming out, so I knew I had to get money some other kind of way. So I just started dealing with them, putting out little singles here and there; just to keep my name alive and keep money in my pocket.

And then you came out on Fully Blown, which is probably an interesting story.

Mm-hm.

What was it like working with them? Who even ran that label?

Fully Blown, that was Bud's. too. Lyvio, I forgot his last name. And Tariq [Nelson]. And actually, he put out another single of mine, and just skipped town. I haven't heard from him and Lyvio either. That was the end of that. There's a lot of people lookin' for 'em. (Laughs)

So then you came out with another 12", on Familiar Faces, which I know is also your management team? Or what is that exactly?

Yeah. that's something me and my baby's father built from the ground up. You know, it's like a production slash management label; and that's where Lil Mama came out of.

Yeah, I was going to ask about that.

Yeah, so it's still working now, but we just have to put a lot of things back in order. We got couple of vans, got a studio, put out some CDs, got some packages and stuff together on some artists, landed Lil Mama a deal. And we got hopes for our other artists coming out of the label, but we have to see about that.

Who else do you have?

We have Negus, we have Vidal, which is Lil Mama's brother. We have Kadar, another artist of ours. And then we have the young producer Laron. I don't know if you've heard of Astronomical Kid? He did X-Factor. And LA Reid signed him to a label a couple years ago, but I don't know what's going on with that. But he came out of our camp as well.

And is Lil Mama still an artist now, or has she stepped away from that?

Well, she's still recording and stuff like that. I know MC Lyte's manager is supposed to be managing her now. And she's supposed to be part of a new reality show they got coming out now called Hip-Hop Sisters. Hopefully I can be a part of that, too. She's supposed to be part of that. And, outside of that, I know she's doing that show America's Best Dance Crew. They have a place for out in LA. She's livin'.

And I know you put out a mixtape in 2009, and releasing tracks on Youtube and stuff for a long time. So you've been staying in it.

Yeah, you know, when you have access to your own studio, you know I record myself. (Laughs) So I record a few songs there, I and Lil Mama record a few songs. It's just something so I can let people know I'm still a little bit active.

So are you coming back to that - putting together a new album?

Well, actually I started shooting videos for a lot... like all of Brooklyn, basically. And a little managing and stuff like that, a few shows on the side.  So I kinda like took a back seat; I was behind the scenes a lot. So somebody approached me a couple years ago and said I should put out a mixtape, which I haven't really finished yet. So I was just throwing out random songs here and there. But, you know, maybe if the right opportunity comes my way, I might think about putting out some more stuff.

But I would like to put out the album. From my understanding, Motown gave me the reels to the stuff, you know; they said I could do with it as I please. That's why I was putting out a couple of  singles through Lyvio, and I never had a problem.

And, and this is a good time for it, too; because a lot of labels have been releasing previously lost albums and all.

Yup, I noticed that.

So this re-release - or first release I guess, actually - is it locked down yet, or where is it at?

Well, I'm still pretty much shopping it around.

I know you had a lot of big stuff on there people haven't heard yet. I know you had like Brian McKnight on there...

Yup, Brian McKuight, Kelly Price, Lost Boyz... And the song I did with Kelly Price, I mean, it still bumps now, to me. It'll do good I think. It's danceable, it's R&B mixed with hip-hop. Radio, definitely radio. "I Wanna Be," the song with Kelly Price, it has a message, you know. Like you can be what you wanna be.

That's interesting, though. Because when you were reviewed in The Source, I know you got a lot of flack for that, having the R&B and radio elements to it that you mentioned.

Right.

Was that your decision, or like a Motown influence?

It was my decision. Really, it was mine and Mister Cee's collab. We just thought it would be the best strategy for the album, just to keep it more radio oriented. Although the first I put out was "Extra, Extra" because I wanted to stick to my underground roots. And which to me, looking at it now, was a mistake. Because Motown didn't want me to put that out. And a record label is behind you as long as you do what they want you to do. (Laughs)

Actually, they wanted the first single to be "Ghetto Vows," with Brian McKnight and Que 45.

Let me ask you about Que 45. Because I only really know him from appearing on your records. Who is he, or what's his story?

Okay, well he's actually my son's father. I got him into rapping years ago, and he started writing for Latifah and a couple more artists. And he was helping manage Lil Mama, which is his niece. So that's how all that comes to play.

So you're still working with him now?

No, not really. He's not really into the rap business anymore. Really, I'm just working for myself right now.

Well it would be great if this album could finally come out. I remember seeing the "Extra, Extra" cassette single in stores, and I didn't buy it. Because I was like: I'm gonna buy the album instead, like it's gonna come out in a few weeks...

...And it never came out. And I was hearing about everything that was going on in Motown and the other labels and stuff. And you know, I was like: wow, I can't believe it. So I pretty much knew what was coming. So when I started seeing a lot of people get fired off of labels, and other people coming in, they didn't really have no knowledge about my album. They were going in a new direction, and it was just crazy. And then to find out from Shakim himself what happened to my budget, which shook me.

And I could have worked with him, too, after the fact. My lawyer wouldn't let me sign the contract with him after what they did. And they were having a lot of problems with their other artist, and then they were one point four million dollars in the hole with the hip-hop industry, so that's why they started doing so many movies.

Right. I guess that would've been about the time they re-did The Flavor Unit as just The Unit, with all those new artists?

Right.

And when you said you could've worked with them, too; do you mean they would've signed you to that Unit?

Yeah, they were gonna sign me to The Unit, but I would've been able to own my masters. They weren't offering an advance. So really I don't know what type of deal that would've turned out to be.

Yeah, it didn't seem like that Unit went too far anyway, so maybe just as well.

Exactly. But you know, everything else came with that. Like, oh you can get some Cover Girl commercials, and you can be in a movie, you can do this and you can do that. But I wanted to be a rapper. I was just a hardcore rapper.

And they knew what to do with that back on Motown? Or was that an issue with them?

No, it wasn't an issue with them, because I did a lot of R&B oriented songs, like the Kelly Price, Brian McKnight and all that. All of them had dance beats. The only real hardcore songs I've done were like with Jesse West, "Extra, Extra" with the Primo beat, and a couple other songs. But the rest of them were for radio. I think they knew what they were doing and had in mind what they wanted me to do. And I was comfortable with it. Because I was still rapping like myself, but the beats were more dance-oriented and the hooks were more broad. And that's why i think the songs will survive today.

Yeah, in a way, the scope of hip-hop has really widened up.

Yeah. It did, it did. And that was part of the dilemma as well. (Laughs) Because I was a hardcore rapper, and they wanted to clean up a lot of stuff. And now they just trying to turn everything to sex, money and drugs.

So if you were to do an album today, with a big budget and everything, is that the direction you'd be headed in again?

Something definitely for radio. I mean, I learned that from Biggie Smalls. You know we all used to rap together. I knew it took Puffy a while to convince him that this was the way to go, but I see that's where the money's at. You know, so if I can keep my hardcore edge, and rap the way I rap just over some nice danceable beats with broad singing hooks or whatever, it's fine with me. And do the other stuff as well.

Well, hopefully people get to finally hear the whole scope of what you wanted to get out there with Tales From Fort Knox...

Yup. Call it Unfinished Business, because I think the album would have done real, real well. And Motown was actually real happy with the album, and I'd done the album the cheapest in Motown's history.

Basically, all the struggling artists out there, just keep your head up. Keep going; don't give up.

Thanks again to Paula for taking the time to talk to me... it's really great to finally get the answers to questions I've been wondering about as a fan for years and years. You can find Paula Perry on Twitter and especially Youtube, where she's got a lot of content up.

Paula Perry Interview Preview

(The direct link to the Youtube vid shown above is here.)

A Nightmare On Elm Street rap. part 7

(The Youtube version is here.)

Unboxing Larry Larr, Interview

(I made an unboxing video! But of course, since it's me, it winds up being a video where I share a rare interview with Larry Larr and Three Times Dope.  Youtube version is here.)

Venture Into...

Parts Unknown are a very obscure Palo Alto group with a hot, underground album. I first heard of it the same way many of you readers probably did: when it was touring the rapidshare blogs and selling for big bucks on EBay. Time for Turmoil was a cassette only release, and heads have been asking for a proper release since it first started burning up the internet. And just like they answered my call for Young Zee's lost album, Dope Folks Records swooped in and provided.

The full ten-song (well... eight songs and two skits) album is now here, remastered on vinyl, with a cool sticker cover preserving the original J-card image. You might notice the track-listing is different, but everything's here, the order has just been reshuffled into a new sequence.

Never heard these guys before? Well, they're a nine man crew, but could basically be boiled down to MC Kilo G, who's the main vocalist on almost every track, and producer Studio B, plus their extended crew (C-Dub, Code Z, Top Dog, Shawn T, Paco, Young Mack & K-9). And when I first heard them, I thought they really sounded like early Paris. Kilo's voice and flow, the dark production. I thought that even before getting to "Radio Version Of the Underground," which jacks the instrumental for "The Devil Made Me Do It." So the similarity is more than coincidental, but that's okay, because who wouldn't want to hear a hardcore crew that sounds like early Paris with a rawer street edge?

Granted, they trade away a little of Paris's compelling social and political commentary, but in return they get a rougher, old school sound, plus a livelier variety thanks to the other MCs. For instance, Young Mack lives up to his name by sounding like a kid on "Another Day In EPA," and Shawn T & Top Dog bring a more traditional gangster rap influence to the table on "Trademark." "911 Funk" disses Rated X over EPMD's "You're a Customer" beat, with an anonymous female guest MC on the last verse. "NewTack Remix" is a remix of their earlier single "Classified NewJack" (amusingly, Dope Folks carries over the typo from the original cassette sleeve). Whether it's preferable or not is debatable... this version probably sounds objectively better, but relies more on familiar/ overly used breakbeats, whereas the original was fresher and had (appropriately) a slightly more new jack feel to it. Vinyl heads will probably prefer the one they're getting here, so that works out.

As always with Dope Folks, this is limited to 300 copies. Sound quality-wise, you can kinda tell that this was taken from the cassette or a rip as opposed to original master reels, but they've done a nice job beefing up the music in the remastering, giving it a rich, warm quality with some deep bass. Plus, who knows if pristine sounded reels ever existed in the first place, considering what a low budget album this seems to have been? Basically, it's a dope album that sounds better here than you've ever heard it. And it's very cool to see one of our limited vinyl labels venture into some grittier gangster hip-hop, which is just as hot as anything despite being outside of the NY-sounding boom-bap comfort zone. Who knows what awesomeness this could be opening the doors for?

Hip-Hop United Behind Mandela

(Youtube version is here.)

A Long Time Coming, Young Zee Interview

Regular readers may have noticed - I mean, I should hope! - that I've been involved with a very exciting upcoming release on Dope Folks Records: Young Zee's long-shelved Musical Meltdown album, originally scheduled to be released in 1996 on Perspective Records. To help celebrate, I interviewed the artist himself, Young Zee.

(Disclaimer: unfortunately, as wonderful as modern technology is, it's still wonky & unreliable, and consequently, much of the audio of this interview was fucked.  The conversation is fresh in my mind, and I took notes, so I've written his answers to those questions as closely as I remember them, but a good deal of paraphrasing was required.  The important thing to me, though, is that I've finally gotten the answers to many of our long held questions, and I can still share that with you guys. So here goes!)

So, with Musical Meltdown finally dropping, like, seventeen years after it was meant to, I wonder if you could talk about that... why it didn't come out in the first place. There was that infamous Source review, but then of course, Perspective also seemed to be closing its doors around that time.

Yeah, it was like a year after. They had the money to keep it open if they wanted, though.  That label was owned by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; they could've done whatever. But the thing was, they had a lot of acts; they just weren't successful with rap. Do you remember Pudgee?

Yeah, he had "On the Regular" and all.

Yeah. they put out his records and others but it just wasn't doing what they wanted. They had a whole rap department, and when the head of that went elsewhere, the guy who brought me in, when he left, that was basically it. My singles didn't do well... "Problems."  They didn't really sell that big.  They had a lot of R&B, like Mint Condition. They didn't really know what to do with us.

Of course you stayed in the game and went on with The Outsidaz and all... Pudgee went on, Rufus Blaq did. One guy who didn't, though, was Arrogant. Do you know what happened to him? He was tight, and he seemed to totally disappear after Perspective.

Yeah!  Arrogant was nice, real lyrical. I don't know what happened to him. We were like good friends. Perspective would throw parties, they had all this money, and they would take us places, and i'd always get together with Arrogant. I don't know what happened to him.

So after Perspective...

After Perspective, we were shopping deals. We were driving and we just saw Chris Schwartz in the street. We ran up to him like, sign us! He heard a tape and like the next day he signed us. We signed with Ruffhouse because they had all the artists we were fans of: Cypress Hill, The Fugees...

Do you have any of the demo material from back then? Because some of that stuff, there's just these low quality versions floating around, but it's like classic material.

I don't have any of that stuff. My house burnt down in '97, so I don't have any of that Outsidaz archives anymore.

Damn! At least you can keep making new material, though. A lot of artists, you're fans of them in the 90s, but hearing them today and it's just not the same. Even some of the other Outsidaz, they're not on the same level or just different. Pace's stuff kinda changed, or like Azz Izz. His new stuff is like totally different from the MC he was in the Outz.

Well, Azz Izz was a DJ.  A lot of those guys weren't rappers, they were just the guy with the car or whatever, down with the group and we let them rap.  Sometimes you've got to have filler, guys who rap while you're waiting for Meth to come back. They can't all be Method Man. Azz Izz wasn't a rapper, he was a DJ. We had like three DJs.

And he was a producer. I know he did some tracks on the Outsidaz album before doing his own album.

Yeah, he was a producer. And he was a DJ; he was never a rapper.

You've stayed 100%, though. Like stuff you're dropping know, like your album with Mr. Green, you're still on par with your best material. Even a lot of the stronger MCs from the Outz, since you split, it seems like they're not quite as strong as when you were all a group. Is that because you were all writing together, or...?

It was competitive. That's why when the Outz went our separate ways, everybody didn't keep it. When I laid a verse, or Pace, everyone said was sick. So when they did one, they wouldn't pay attention. Or they would cut it off the song. So they knew they had to spit something really ill to keep up. So didn't want to get taken off the album. Now when they're on their own, they just think whatever they're saying is enough.

I'm not saying I was the nicest. You know who I was worried about was Slang.  I used to go hard because he would show me up. I thought he was the illest, so I had to spit my best because he was on the same track.

One thing that separated The Outz was you had the hardness and the edge but also the humor. Another who really held up is Yah. I always felt like he was the most under appreciated in the group.

Yah's my brother.

Yeah, and he had a style similar to yours. I was wondering if...

Yah used to be in the house, listening to me rap. I'd be spitting verses, he'd be like, "yeah, that was tight!"  He was like me in the way he brought all the syllables.

I think also in his writing style, too; the way he'd pull in these references... but not like jokey or typical 90s punchliney.

Yeah, Yah was dead serious when he spit. That was the difference, he spit the kind of shit I liked, but dead serious.

There's only like 500,000 people in the world that are in this for the lyrics. When you hear songs on the radio you don't even like it but you know all the words because you be hearing it. That's a manager or somebody who could put them there. Most people aren't in it for the lyrics; they're in it for the money. And that's what ruins it. That's how I feel.

You know who I'm feeling right now? What's that dude from The Clipse, you know who I mean? With the braids, signed with GOOD Music... It shows how much I partied last night that I don't remember his name now. [I realized afterwards he's talking about Pusha T] That's who I'm into right now.

I got a son who rhymes. He's got a little group, the NJ Rebels. I go to radio stations and when I get in I get asked about him now. He knows he's gotta bring it with me being his father, he can't just be like these guys, only talking about what they're wearing. These guys always want to bring us to these expensive shopping malls and shit we can't afford. We don't want to hear that! Or you can talk about it, but then at least bring the syllables, say it with some skills. But they're not in it for the lyrics. There's only 500,000 of us.

So, speaking of former Outz, what happened with Eminem? I know he didn't get the Outz on his first album, but he was definitely shouting out the group like crazy on there. It was the hook to one of his songs even. Kids who didn't even know who The Outsidaz were knew he was one of them.

Yeah, we were supposed to be "Amityville." Me, Pace, Bizarre, we were all on there. We left, it was done, and Em called, there was one small part of his verse he didn't like. He asked Pace to change that part. Pace said no, he wouldn't do it. He spit it and he should use it, that's just what it was. I was like man, just change it. It was just that one thing.

Pace knows. If somebody had spit a verse on his album and he wasn't feeling, he wouldn't use it. He would take him  off the song. Or ask them to change it... if he likes you.

Yeah, I've met Em, and I definitely got the impression he was like a loyal guy. When he was just coming off the Slim Shady EP, he brought Royce with him, just to promote him. This was before Em was established himself. He always kept D12, he kept shouting the Outz. Like, even if he didn't get you on his first album, I always felt like he would've gotten you on his second through sixth.

Exactly.

But Pace kept dissing Em. He made like three different records going at him.

That's why Em fell back. He wouldn't answer him.  I told Pace just change your verse!

And what about Bizarre? I interviewed him twice in those days, and he was a hardcore Outsida. He was repping it hard. I remember him saying he'd be all over the Outz album. It kind of went the other way, too. Em was supposed to be on an Outsidaz song called "Mama I Said" that got taken off. He thought he and Em would be all over The Bricks album.

Bizarre's my man. I'm still down with him. i just laid a verse for Bizarre four days ago for his next project.

Oh, nice. Yeah, because when the Outz and Shady separated, you were still on that D12 album... and the 8 Mile soundtrack.

I still fuck with Em. When me and Em talk, we talk big money. And I've always been like just his friend. We would just hang. When they called me in to be on that, they called me and Digga. She drove and I was sleeping in the car. When we got there, she went in, and I was still asleep. I woke up like half an hour later, got out the car to smoke, and I saw Em's bodyguards. I was like what's up? And they said Em was upstairs, go on. So I went up in there. They said it was my track so I spit once through and they said that's it, it was done. I thought I'd come back to redo it, but everyone said that was it. Some people said I had the nicest track on that album. But I don't know about that.

I would say so.

I don't call myself the nicest; I'm just a lyricist.

Some people didn't want me on there. Em came to me saying these guys at the label or managers didn't want me on it. I said man, they work for you. If you want me on it, I'm on it. They work for you. And he was like, you right. So I'm on it. But some people didn't like that.

But at some point you signed with Shady. You had another album that was supposed to come out, which I heard at least most of...

Actually, I signed with Denyne. I thought I was signing with Em. Denyne called me, was like you're gonna be on Shady. He came with his manager, I signed the papers, got the money. Then I see Em and I told him I signed and I'm coming out on Shady, and he didn't know anything about it! It was done without his involvement. But he said okay, do it. Let's see what you do. And I recorded, but it wasn't with Em.

I'm just in it for the music now; I just want to work with whoever's about the music. The money can come, but if it doesn't, it doesn't have to. I'm in it for the lyrics. I already have a nice life.

This interview was a crazy struggle. From the audio dying, to Zee's phone dying on us mid-interview. It turned out to be way harder than it should have been. So big thanks to Zee for his patience. Be sure to follow him on twitter. He told me he's got a new album done, can't wait to hear that. And of course Musical Meltdown Part 1, with Part 2 soon to follow.

The Lone Ranger On the Mic

Did you guys know that the real Long Ranger, like the actual legendarily historical figure, was black? Well, he was. People gave Disney a lot of (not necessarily unwarranted) flack for casting a white celebrity as Tonto, the Ranger's Native American sidekick. But how about how, even after all of the Ranger's incarnations on radio, television and film; Disney still felt the need to cast one of the most white-bread actors they could find to portray the Ranger? Hell, pretty much the only time in mass media we've had the Ranger portrayed properly as a black man is when Q-Tip took on the mantle in 1998.

Yeah, if you missed that little moment in history, it was after Tribe had released their final album, and before any of them had gone solo. Tip was the first to venture onto the market with a little white label 12" and a pseudonym. He probably chose it precisely because the Ranger was a famous secret identity, the masked man... even the real guy was considered a master of disguise. He then went on to release material as Kamaal the Abstract before finally re embracing his popular identity as Q-Tip.

So, there's actually two versions of this 12". One has a credited label: Walis Records, but it's their only release, so it's practically a white label, though they did have a mailing address. I believe the name is a reference to the teachings of Meher Baba, a spiritualist I gather Tip was/ is into. But anyway, then there's this version, which is better because it has both the one song and instrumental from the Walis version, plus a bunch more material unique to this pressing. So this is the one with everything and the one to own. Plus, I believe it came out first. And none of this material ever wound up on Tip's subsequent albums or projects.

So the first track is called "It's Yours" and yes, it's a(nother) remake of T-La Rock's classic.  Now you might be thinking, Q-Tip's a lot of things: a great producer, a smooth rhymer, a multi-talented artist... but he doesn't really have the hardcore punch of a T-La Rock when it comes to his flow. So how Tip hope to touch it? But it's actually because he has such a different vibe that it works. Typically, "It's Yours" remakes come off as close but not quite as compelling as the original, which leaves you ultimately wondering =: well, what was the point of that? But Tip gives it a whole new energy. Although he starts out with the famous opening lines, "commentating, illustrating..." and cuts in the famous horn stab of the original, after that it's completely different. Vocally and lyrically, it's pure Q-Tip. Calm, head bopping, addictive. But it still has tight turntable cuts. It keeps coming back to the original, with its famous moments like, "do you like? (Yeah.) Do you want it? (Yeah!)" or "I don't know... if it's true..." But they're totally transformed. I daresay, it may actually be one of the most successful hip-hop remakes in the genre.

Now comparing the labels, it would appear that only the Walis 12" has the instrumental. But actually, that's not true. Even though it's not printed on the label, this white label version actually has the instrumental, too. Again, this is the definitive of the two.

Next we have a track called "Moneymaker." It's similar in tone to "It's Yours" minus the T-La Rock elements. It's got a strong piano riff and some really bassy drums. It doesn't quite have the energy of the first song without the old school hardcore connections, and the "shake your moneymaker" hook isn't exactly inspired conceptually; but it's definitely another smooth head nodder for any Tip fan. And it's not at all sloppy, sing-songy and discordant like his subsequently shelved Abstract album turned out to be. No, this is what that album should've been.

Then on the back, we get an early Consequence solo track. Younger readers may not realize, but long before he was writing for G.O.O.D. Music and dissing Kanye West, Consequence was Tip's protege, having debuted on Midnight Marauders and becoming a much bigger part of Beats, Rhymes and Life, to the point where he was essentially the fifth Tribe member. Or, as one of my fellow bloggers would put it, before he was Kanye's weed carrier, he was Q-Tip's.  Here, I guess he's our Tonto.

In fact, I believe he's Tip's cousin. And so it's thanks to this connection that he gets to share this comeback 12", And yes, his song here is produced by Tip as well. He even provides the hook. It's called "The Consequences," and it's pretty good. The beat is simple and mostly effective, though the lead sample is weak and a little bit annoying. But it's all played low-key to showcase Consequence's rhymes, where he flexes a rawer, more punchline-y flow. Very 90s. The unspoken message is that he's the more lyrical, younger cat of the next generation. But he never really says anything that impressive (and like Necro, falls back on including a Dolly Parton bust size reference straight out of a 1970s kindergarten schoolyard). He's got a nice flow, though, and I wouldn't have minded hearing this remixed on a subsequent album. But as it is, it's mostly just serves as a collector's piece for Q-Tip completists. Oh, and there's an uncredited instrumental version of this song hidden away on the vinyl here, too.

So there you have it, folks. Pretty much the one time in our American, cultural history that the Long Ranger was done right. If anything, it might've set the bar a little too high for Tip's solo career. So it definitely belongs in your crates. Lasso one up and have a happy Thanksgiving.

Hi-Yo Silver, and away!

Nick Wiz Interview

(Fifth in the video interview series conducted by The Custodian of Records and edited by yours truly. Youtube version is here.)

Young Zee's 'Musical Meltdown' Album Finally Dropping!!

(The Youtube version is here, my original blog post is here, and the link to the record is here.)

Kool G Rap and Necro Have Arrived

It's out now: Kool G Rap and Necro's collaborative album, The Godfathers: Once Upon a Crime. I've joked a few times that the only prospect I'd look forward to more than a Kool G Rap album with Necro is a Kool G Rap album without Necro. But let's be real - how is this album, really?

Actually, Necro does a pretty decent job of living up to G Rap. I haven't spent the years following his output too closely. I enjoyed his debut 12", "Underground (Rules4Ghouls)," albeit as almost more of a novelty record than a serious hip-hop piece of art. And once he got even jokier, with his parody of LL Cool J's "I Need Love," "I Need Drugs," I was pretty much done with him. I'd catch a video here or there; but it wasn't until I got a mixCD compilation of his stuff (Origins) free a ughh record order that I thought he might even have the lyrical abilities to be taken seriously. And even then, that didn't have be running out to purchase all his albums I'd missed over the years.

Wait. Let me get even more real. I first heard of Necro when he produced Cage's debut 12". They were never actually a proper group, but they'd done radio appearances and freestyles together before that, and it sort of seemed like they had an ideal pairing going on. When they parted ways after, I always thought Cage - though he'd certainly had an impressive list of producers making tracks for him - had lost his ideal producer. And Necro had lost his ideal MC.  "Underground" was fun, but his corny, forced punchlines ("you'll be blinded like Rosie O'Donnell jumped up ten feet in the air and flashed her tits") and obvious reaches for shock value made him look like a cheap Cage knock-off. They were like two Prince Pos with no Pharaoh Monche; they never should've split.

For Necro, it's like he's finally found his Cage again. Both in being top shelf writers, and also in keeping Necro in on the right path. Not too jokey or too juvenile or too trashy.  Necro, with Kool G Rap, is pretty on point.

And I've never been mad at Necro as a producer. He keeps things simple, with pure, raw hardcore hip-hop tracks that are just perfect for a guy like G Rap. I definitely wouldn't've been mad to have seen his name on Riches, Royalty, Respect. It's a good combination, and again, Necro even shows that he can share a mic with G Rap, too. Yeah, you can still see Kool's the stronger lyricist (Necro still has jokes about Dolly Parton's breast size, if you can believe it); but Necro more than treads water with some slick, angry multis and turns in a better performance than most indie guys who've gotten Kool G Rap on their tracks.

One big thing that separates this from Riches, Royalty and Respect besides the additional rapper is the lack of variety. Where Riches had a variety of topics, styles and tones; this album basically has one speed the entire way through: hard spitting. Whether that's a good or a bad thing is just a matter of preference. On the one hand, the album can a bit endless by the time you're at 10 or 11 (there's 18 total, and none of them are skits). The formula is so locked: one indidivual verse apiece from Necro and G Rap per song. They never go line-for-line or spit multiple, shorter verses or anything. Just one verse apiece, plus a hook.

On the other hand, if you're only going to do one type of the song, this is the best type to do. And it's probably a wise move to keep Necro from attempting sad songs about the loss of a relative or heartfelt material about his love life. It's just a perfect machine-gun like delivery of skill flexing and gangster talk, and you can't go wrong with that. And they don't.

The only mistake I think they make is actually a repeat of a misstep from Riches, Royalty, Respect. It front loads all the weakest material. I appreciate that you don't want your album to run out of steam, but the first song is one of the worst - indeed, it opens with a verse from Necro much weaker than pretty much anything else he does on the album. As the goes forward, the momentum increases and you get to the hotter material but it makes me think people who are on the fence about this album - again, like Riches - won't give it a full and proper chance and wind up passing on what's a stronger album than they realize.

This album features only one guest: regular Necro cohort Mr. Hyde, who drops a quick verse near the end of the album. He holds up his end, too. There's also a female R&B vocalist named Mitch Matlock, who sings hooks and back-up vocals on three songs, and she's used very well. It never feels like a tacky crossover moment; it's subtle and effective, and gives the album a richer feel. One track has a pretty awful "what were they thinking?" hook (not by Mitch), but apart from that the album is pretty solid from beginning to end. Especially once you get a few songs deep.

This album's CD only, but it comes with a nice 25-page booklet including all the lyrics and a bunch of art pieces that clearly had care put into them. If you order it direct from Necro's site, you can get various bonuses from signed copies to t-shirts, hats and posters. Personally, none of it did anything for me apart from the basic CD and possibly the sigs, so that's all I went for. But I'm definitely happy with what I've got. I was a little worried how this project would turn out; but I think it came out the best it possibly could. I mean, I was confident we'd at least get some nice, new verses from Kool G Rap, but it's a very pleasant surprise to learn that the whole project holds up. Sure, it's not for everybody; but if you think this duo might be your speed at all, I definitely recommend it. And I'd love to see a Godfathers Part II. Meanwhile, what's Cage doing now? Dubstep? Oy vey.