In the last year, I have watched Jasmine Solano turn into… well… a big deal. From seemingly nowhere, she used her charm and talent to drop right into the fast lane. Her and MELO-X created the now infamous Electric Punanny party and brought their individual and collective brands onto the street and got it buzzing. On her own, not only is she a radio personality, but she is also a DJ and now a grinding musician . She recently started working on her CD which is being produced by a handful of hot new producers. But, that’s not what this interview is about. For me, whats interesting is much more about whats inside of people who struggle and smile and create. This to me, is timeless and that’s all that matters in the long run. Here we go.

TONE: When I think of you, I think of non-stop hustle. You’re a DJ, you’re a radio host, you’re a production manager working on music videos, you’re always linking people up and making it happen. Tell me where the motivation is coming from? Talk to me about what you’re trying to achieve.

JS: Thank you TONE :) I guess when I think about where my hustler spirit comes from, I think about a mixture of survival and destiny. Everyone is either hustling to survive or refusing to give up on their dreams, OR BOTH. I definitely believe in the idea that life is short, so go hard. If you are in any way aware of your talents, gifts & strengths then there’s no time to waste them – literally. It’s great in NYC because you’re usually too busy to obsess over doubts and insecurities. There’s too much going on! :)

JS: I think for me, from a young age I realized that my imagination could determine my reality. And so I try to give myself enough time to daydream :) I’m pretty much always motivated and I can say it’s because I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing. I already know how rare that opportunity is and so I try not to take it for granted, not even for a second.

JS: What am I trying to achieve? I’d like to build an ark like Noah, put all the NYC/Brooklyn fam on it and travel the world together – influencing the masses by spreading quality art, music, fashion, ideas & ways of life. That would be the shit, right?

TONE: Oh yes. The shit indeed. You’ve been a huge supporter of up and coming talent such as the Retro Kids, Melo-X, Lion & Rooster, NEW POP, myself and many others. Why?

JS: I don’t know where all my loyalty comes from. I’m trying to figure that out now, lol. Maybe from my parents. But yeah loyalty is a huge thing for me. If I make a friend, they’re usually a friend for life. And I don’t take meeting people lightly. Everyone I meet has some impact on my whole thinking process. Especially if I vibe with them, respect what they are doing and support their movement – then it’s a wrap. Relationships mean a lot me, no matter how small or big. And you gotta know how to support others if you want to be supported. That’s a big thing that people forget.

TONE: I recently asked Melo-X what happened that lead you guys to team up on the Electric Punanny parties. I’m curious what your take is on it? What were you guys thinking prior to coming up with EP?

JS: Prior to the ELECTRIC PUNANNY parties, Melo-X hosted my weekly party called THE JAWN in the Lower East Side, with DJ Iron Lyon & DJ Kevy. That’s when I knew I had met my brother from another mother. Melo-X and I were separated at birth, for real. He wanted to sit down and brainstorm an idea for a monthly party where we both DJ’d. I’m a reggaeholic so when he presented the idea of REGGAE VS. DANCE i thought it was perfect. We came up with a few party names, the first one being “Electro Pum Pum”. Then I remember splurting out “Electric Punanny” and he responded with “YESSSSSS”. The rest is history.

TONE: Since you’ve been on your grind, what kinds of things have you learned about yourself and how have you changed?

JS: I’ve learned that anything is possible, truly. And once you get a taste of it, there’s no turning back.

JS: I’ve also learned that I have a lot of love for a lot of people. Not just in general – I think about each person who has helped me get to where I am- I reflect on them everyday.

JS: I don’t really think I’ve changed, you’ll have to ask my super homies that have known me since back when I had blond hair. I’m sure they’d know. But I feel more like myself than ever before. If anything I feel like all the dots of my life have connected and now it’s really on :)

TONE: Music project! Can you give me some tids on that?

JS: I’m working on an EP and it’s my obsession right now. I’m working with several different producers including DJ Wonder (That’s Not It) and Journey to the End / Dirty Jeenius (Coco Puff). Everything else about the EP is a surprise….

JS: Since I released the first track off the EP, “That’s Not It” the buzz has been growing daily. I’ve already performed it in 7 different venues in NYC since it’s release one month ago. I’ve been opening up for Ninjasonik who are the nicest kids on the block – and they’ve got die hard fans all over the country. No joke. I also performed with The Retro Kidz who are my fellow BROBOT-ians. And in the month of February I’ll be performing with Mickey Factz, Team Facelift, Daytona and your fellow interviewee Homeboy Sandman.

JS: The music thing has been a secret dream of mine since forever. Just kept it on the low. Now it’s all over and I’m truly happy about it.

TONE: We’ve talked about one of your dreams regarding radio. In a society that seems to be steering away from radio, talk to me about why you remain in love with it?

JS: Radio will always be one on one. With radio you’re reaching people in their most intimate moments. I’ve spoken over the air to people who are in jail, cooking at home, driving by themselves, listening in another country because they miss their home, etc. Radio activates the imagination. The listener can’t see you and they can’t talk back to you. This forces you to paint a whole visual in their head with the words you speak and the music you play. It’s magic to me.

TONE: Whats your ritual when you’re feeling down and out? What do you do to recharge your creative batteries?

JS: bikram yoga, dark chocolate and a solid RICE & PEAS reggae party :)

TONE: I’ve only really heard you spin reggae but I know you have a love for Motown, tell me a little bit about this.

JS: That’s all from my mother. She had me singing James Brown when I was five. For real, we have it recorded on a cassette tape from a Fisher Price recorder. I grew up on Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, The Supremes, The Temptations, etc. I have such a deep love for soul music and it’s all because of her***

TONE: What were u like when you were a kid?

JS: I think I was bossy. lol. yeah. Always trying to organize my friends together to pull off some scheme.

JS: Always daydreaming, loved to dance and was always competitive with the boys – especially in Kick The Can. In a nut shell I think I was always acting like a little princess mafia tomboy. With the ponytail to the side ;)

TONE: What’s your favorite food right now and why?

JS: Lol, this is funny question. Gotta go with Amy’s organic spinach pizza. Cause I’ve been eating that shit for over 4 years now and it still tastes like the first time every time ;)

TONE: You have a very interesting look, I’m curious what your heritage is?

JS: Thx TONE :) I’m mixed, Indonesian & Russian. (my father is from Indonesia and my mother is 3rd generation Russian)

TONE: Most of us in NYC voted for Obama and had the great honor of watching the first man of color win Presidency of the US. How was it for you when you found out he won and what relevance do you see it having on American culture?

JS: It’s funny because in my teens I was a big hip-hop activist. I held events that featured socially conscious artists, green peace representatives, the whole nine. I could show you pictures. I remember when I moved to Boston to go to college, I was demonstrating in the Boston Commons doing spoken word about the war and all the conspiracies. I WAS IN IT.

JS: Then I remember the night that Bush got re-elected in 2004. It was one of the worst feelings I’ve ever experienced. At the time, all of Boston was rooting for Senator Kerry especially since he was from there. I was at my good friend Lee’s apartment with all of our close friends. I remember the minute when the decision was made, we all felt hopeless. At that moment I turned off from politics. I was convinced that an organized group of people in the government were going to have their agenda met no matter what the people wanted.

JS: Until Obama. I’m still in shock. My whole production family (TRIGGERHAPPY, Integrated Studios) produced an Obama Commercial that aired in Times Square on one of the Billboards (shout out to Chris Rue!) From the get, the entire NYC crew has come together to support Obama. The feelings of pride and hope are indescribable. It’s the biggest global example thus far that change CAN really come out of struggle. And I think it’s the closest we’ve ever gotten to actually feeling like a global community. Which is a pretty powerful feeling :)

TONE: Growing up, did you have any heros? If so, who were they and why?

JS: My pops. Nuff said. If you met him, you’d know why. You’d probably want to hang out with him more than me :)

JS: He’s the man. He has a gazillion friends all over the world. He’s humble, wise and knows how to laugh. He’s kinda like a monk. If I could be half as dope as him, my life would be set.

TONE: If you could be anything in the world, other then what you are now, what would that be?

JS: Besides Aalyiah? Hmm. I don’t know TONY TONI TONE. I don’t think I’d change my life right now for anything :)

CHECK OUT JASMINE’S MUSIC ON HER MYSPACE PAGE:

In the early 90’s I frequented Nuyorican Poets Cafe and was a student of 89.9 and the whole Stretch and Bob movement. Yes, to me, it was a movement. It was NY’s finest days and much of it had to do with the sense of community that existed back then among artists. A whole network spawned and was unified on making good music, collaborating and keeping it “real”. At the time, the term keeping it real was commonly used. At some point, a trend started “debunking” the term stating people who were keeping it real didn’t need to say they were keeping it real. Wow. Hip Hop got Bhuddism. I digress. We have all heard the praises about Hip Hops “golden era”. I am not going to go there, but there are some who have stayed the course and others who have fallen off the map. John Robinson, formerly known as Lil Sci, is one such man. Him and ID Four Winds (Scienz of Life), producer and mcee, have continued to grow as musicians, humans and teachers. I have witnessed this music evolve into a colorful blend of melody and wisdom yet it has always kept a kind of boom bap that I favor. Lyrically, JR says something in every word that is meaningful and it’s obvious in his tone and word selection that we are dealing with a veteran . He is one of those kinds of people I could spend days with discussing the inner workings of living a creative life in a world that doesn’t always seem to reward the truly gifted as much as it rewards the popular and well connected. Many of you in the know, respect this man not just for his extensive catalog, but also for his spirit. I had a chance to speak with JR about his two new albums and his life. This is where it went.

TONE: Tell me the story behind the name John Robinson. Rumor has it there is something dope about how it came about.

JR: John Robinson is my given name. I will say that MF DOOM is the complete inspiration behind me using my Gov’t name in music. During my time living in Atlanta I really got cool wit DOOM and we built a lot. I can remember when he told me it bugs him out that every time I call his crib the caller ID would say “John Robinson”. He later told me he found some dialogue about a man name John Robinson and he wanted to sample it and chop it up to do a project while creating a story with the dialogue he found. Of course I accepted and the rest is history. Sometimes I wonder if we never had that convo would I have ever came to using my given name on the MIC Device? I doubt it.

TONE: Since we’re on the topic of Doom. Tell me a little about the history of “Who Is The Man?”.

JR: What the people must overstand is the album itself has been finished for 4 years and just getting to see the light of day now. I walked out of ZAC Recording Studio with DOOM in ATL in July 2004 with the record fully mixed and completed. Originally Shaman Work was supposed to release the record, then soon after it switched to DOOM releasing it on his METAL FACE Records label. Due to the intense schedule and then combined with a long hiatus the record never saw the light of day. Finally with a decision made to let the record be released so that the people (the fans) can hear it if nothing else I wanted people to get the chance to hear the music. I released the record in japan with Ultra-Vybe and in Europe with Project Moon Circle. For a minute myself and Sucio Smash were thinking of ways we can work together within the realms of music and I decided maybe it would be dope if Highwater Music released the U.S. version of this record. I truly respect Sucio’s vision and can see that Highwater Music is one of the movements that is taking the community approach to the music that the NY Hip Hop scene is missing. Highwater is taking it back to the days when people actually worked together as a collective.

JR: Who is this man? Has many meanings the obvious is introducing John Robinson on a more personable level. This album is very audio biographical in which I share a lot about my life and times throughout the record in song. For example when I say in the song Shrink Rap “Ever since the 5th grade been on this Hip Hop Craze peace to Jamal Thomas, he’s one of the reason’s I started this”. Jamal Thomas is a real 5th grade class mate of mind who’s parents came in to show and tell one day and talked to the class about them being world re known R&B singers as a husband and wife duo (think Ashford & Simpson). Ever since I was so inspired and Jamal could tell that so he offered to show me what his parents taught him about song structure and counting bars etc. So this part of the craft I learned early on and it was truly a blessing.

JR: Who is this man? also deals with introducing the fact that there is nothing new about John Robinson doing this music. This is why I included my full discography in the CD insert. Just to let those who have no clue much more about my history and catalog that stretches all over the world for over a decade.

TONE: Back in the 90’s, NYC was the place to be for musicians of all kinds. Who brought you to the Lower East Side back then and what did you hope to find?

JR: I along with my crew were HUGE fans of the Stretch and Bobbito radio show and I remember Bobbito speaking of an open mic that he hosted in LES at the Nuyorican Poets Café. I had to check it out by this time I was living in NJ and I need to be heard by the ears of the ILLEST City on the planet.

TONE: Your catalog is long and goes back over a decade. In that time you’ve collab’d with some highly respected artists. You’re another one of those dudes. Niche following. Fresh collabs, but commercial visibility isn’t in the picture. Is that okay with you? Are you happy where you are now with the music?

JR: I never did music to be famous. If the fame was something that came because of it I would have welcomed it but my intentions were never to be famous. I consider myself blessed in the fact that I have been able to inspire people all over the planet with my music man. I have been able to travel places and perform in front of people who appreciate so much of what I do without even understanding the language. I mean I have had people in other countries tell me that they learned a great deal of English listening to music from artists like myself. That is fulfilling. I feel I will be a legend in my own right once it is all said and done. I work extremely hard to assure that a brilliant legacy is left behind for the younger to feed of.

TONE: In all these years you’ve said alot with your words. Do you have a mission now when you write? Where is the energy coming from to keep moving forward?

JR: There is always a method to the madness. Substance is key in anything I am writing, it is important that I give the listener something to think about, no matter what the subject matter is. I always feel like a higher source channels through me at times when I write. I constantly wonder how I will ever write something on the level of or even higher than anything classic I write. Lately younger people have been my most direct level of inspiration as I always keep them in mind while writing and creating music. The children are the future.

TONE: Agreed. You have two new albums. Talk to me about why you named one of them “I Am Not For Sale”.

JR: You can’t buy my soul! I do this music on my own terms…No outside corporate entity is dictating how I create my vibrations that I share with the world. I will not compromise my integrity for a check. Now if the check was cut with me being allowed to do what I do then I would consider that an outside investor in my dreams. Other than that it is not a good look. What most people don’t understand is like 70% or more of these artists in all genre’s signed to major labels, they will never own their music again. I Am Not For Sale also deals with the fact that I am not going to shows and sticking my CD in the face of everyone there to enjoy themselves and have a good time. I am not a salesman I am a writer and a visionary who happens to have the gift of emceeing. I will allow people who attend my shows to learn more about me and how I am and if that is something that interest you then you can find my music and support when the time is right.

TONE: If the album DOOM produced was released on time, how do you think that would have changed your life?

JR: At the time “Who is this man?” was finished it would have released right at the time the Mad Villain album was in full effect and right before the Danger DOOM album. This was clearly DOOM’s prime era and during this time I was touring with DOOM etc. I feel if the record came out then I would have had more opportunity to expose it on a much more grand scale. Most of all I would have had DOOM’s support in terms of touring for the record etc. The record coming out now was simply a decision made to let the people hear it and test the waters on whether or not another record should be done. This was a true test of timeless music. I think it worked. The bottom line is “there are no mistakes”. All happens the way it is supposed to. This is how I feel about life on a whole.

TONE: What was it like working with Doom on this album?

JR: DOOM is brilliant. I have learned so much working with him. From actual writing techniques all the way down to distinct vocabulary word choice and even delivery moods. DOOM is very much a scientist with his craft. Every single thing he does is thought out 5 to 10 steps ahead, so working with him, you have to be extremely patient and be in the know that there is a extreme method to his madness for sure. DOOM helped me in separating the styles between John Robinson and Lil Sci, yes there is a difference in texture between the two. I look forward to the next one.

TONE: I Am Not For Sale is deep with talent. What were you thinking bringing all these artists to this album? I mean, Fly Lo, Jneiro, Hadar, J Rawls, Renee Neufville, and IG Culture. To those in the know, this is heavyweight.

JR: Yes this was definitely a planned formula. The core of this sound was based around the musical vibes of Jneiro Jarel, Flying Lotus and IG Culture. They all encompassed futuristic soulful, funked out jazz soundscapes that I was very much seeking at this time. I wanted to do a record that felt familiar while at the same time it sounded like nothing I have ever done before. Along with the core group, I added J Rawls as we have a full length album together that people will hear later this spring. Then I added K Dubble and R.Thentic who most people were probably unfamiliar with but I couldn’t deny the greatness they brought to the project. Far from last I added both Carlos Nino and the Build An Ark Ensemble along with Renee Neufville to further define my love for Jazz music. Long story SHORT I was aiming to make a CLASSIC.

TONE: Both The Leak Edition Vol.2 and I Am Not For Sale are on iTunes as non DRM albums (iTunes Plus), why is that and what’s your feeling on DRM and how does it impact you from a business perspective?

JR: Ok, for all the readers out there who have no clue…DRM is (digital rights management) and has been and is being used by content provider companies such as Sony, Apple, Microsoft and the BBC. This is the very reason why music from iTunes or the like can’t easily be shared. DRM is in full effect meaning you could only really transfer the music to a device provided by one of these entities such as an iPod, Zune or another form of mp3 player. This keeps the consumer locked in to a product. Now with the gradual change to DRM free music, when you buy it, it is yours and you can do what u like with it. From a business perspective I am hoping this encourages a lot more people to buy digital music from iTunes because to be totally honest with you, the digital music revolution is helping to put things back into the artist hands and is the the most direct way of support outside of physically buying the product from the artist themselves.

TONE: I’m sure you know about the genre “Adult Contemporary Rap”. Besides the fact that it is a genre, which is another discussion all together, how do you feel about a genre that boxes up artists in such a way?

JR: It is definitely censorship and unfair especially to artist like myself. There are so many forms of Hip Hop music and this is what makes the music so powerful. You can blend Hip Hop with any genre of music and it will still in some way, fashion, shape or form become Hip Hop. You have Hip Hop soul, Hip Hop Jazz, Hardcore Hip Hop, Smooth Hip Hop, Hip Hop Poetry and the list goes on. Stop limiting the greatness! We can’t be stopped it’s evident by now.

TONE: You make it clear that you wont forget the era in Hip Hop you came from. The Golden Era. I relate to your music because it reminds me of that time but yet it has evolved so well. In fact, it’s one of the more mature examples of how 90’s cats can do it. Throughout the whole time, I’ve always felt you were on the melodic tip. Even if it was choppy sounding like some older Scienz stuff, it still had a warmth to it. Is this something you are conscious of and why do u prefer this vibe?

JR: Yes this is indeed intentional. I have and always had an old soul. I am that cat today riding around in the car listening to Stevie, Anita or even Sade. I even cool out to Jazz often. The music I make will always be influenced by such artists no matter what I do. I grew up listening to a lot of soulful melodic music so it usually comes out in whatever I do, whether I meant to do it at that moment or not. I am not afraid to say if I could sing the way that I would want to hear it, I would definitely be singing. If I could play horn the way that I love to hear it, Wow! So instead with my rhymes I sing and play Jazz. With the voice…The First instrument.

TONE: In your last 10 plus years on the grind, what have you learned about yourself spiritually and how has the business of music affected you both negative and positive?

JR: The biggest lesson I learned is never give up. The moment u give up, is the same moment you lose. I have learned that success is truly the test of times and can only truly be measured by one’s self. There are many levels of success so don’t denounce the smaller levels just because your goal is to reach higher heights. Embrace every moment during your journey because they are all priceless. They can never be taken away from you, it is all a part of the story of your life. Celebrate it. Creating Music has made me a more patient person. I can easily say this because of the way I am no able to reflect on life, decisions I make and most of all how important it is for me to spend time with family. Wow I guess this is called “Getting Grown” lol!

JR: The negative side of this would be the fact that you lose solid relationships during your journey and it is real. It comes with the territory and is all a part of the game. The sad part is most of these lost connects are due to third party business dealings that are out of your control, it sucks! Also the fact that sometimes during creative periods you close yourself up in order to tap into the full levels of your creative side. I am still aiming to completely understand why this happens to most artists? The bad part about it is that it has negative effects on the people that are most close to you because they feel like you don’t love them or are depressed etc. when u are simply just being an artist.

TONE: We spoke a bit about how you feel regarding helping out newer cats trying to start a career in music. Speak on that a bit. Where did that come from and why?

JR: This is so important man! I truly feel that if you have a gift or information or even resources you must share them. Maximize the true power of what you obtain, sometimes without getting publicized credit for it too. The only true confirmation you really need is the fact that you know you helped someone grow and take their life to the next level. The children/youth are the future and must be shown the proper way in order to uphold the integrity of what ever it is we are dealing with. Whether it is music, raising a family or becoming a politician. All of these gems need to be passed down to give the upcoming the power, strength and insight to take things even further than we were able to. Life does not grow if your children don’t reach higher levels than you were able to, and more than just financially. I feel it is my duty to begin to teach younger people my insight and share my gifts and talents to help inspire greatness to come. This is my true next levels in music. You will see.

TONE: Do you have creative rut’s and if so, what do you do to get out?

JR: “I Don’t get writers Block, I block other writers” LoL. This is a quote from Richmond, VA’s finest Mad Skillz or now known as Skillz. When I heard him say this years ago on his debut album it never left me. It is one of the defenses I use. Another is a quote from Common “Some days I take the bus home, just to touch home” I would literally some days get on a bus or train with some headphones and zone out to music and just BE. It works every time yo!

TONE: If you could be anything other then you are today, what would that be?

JR: It’s hard to say. I love who I am that much and give thanks for every blessing that I ever obtained and will come in tune with later.

JR: At this time I don’t have an answer for this one but when I get one if I ever do I will let ya know. TONE, give thanks for this Bro! Straight up mental calisthenics. Big ups to Format Magazine, Shaman Work Recordings, Highwater Music,

TO LISTEN TO SOME OF JR’S NEW MUSIC AND ALL THAT, VISIT HIS MYSPACE PAGE.

TONE: I’m always interested in peoples past and what things in their lives made them who you are. When you look back into your childhood, can you think what transpired to make you the person and artist you are today?

JOHN: I’ve always been creative and used my imagination alot. I also yearned freedom and non-judgment so when the arts chose me I gave in. Seemed like we’d make a good fit together.

TONE: Does your family support your career as an artist? Can you talk to me about how that affects you whether negative or positive?

JOHN: I think a fair assessment is that they a smart enough to stay outta my way and caring enough to wish me luck, but they’d be happy as shit if I decided to be a mailman and kept art as a hobby.

TONE: Some of your stencil art has a political streak in it. Talk to me about a political issue that resonates deeply with you and where it came from.

JOHN: Social commentary is important in art and with my guerrilla art I feel its what seperates art from vandalism when done well. If you’re gonna say something, then actually say something and try to raise awareness or spark an insight whenever you can.

TONE: The idea for the light box. Where did the inspiration for this come from?

JOHN: I didn’t have canvas when i first started painting, all I had was pieces of scrap plastic so I painted on that. I had a lightbox in my studio for tracing illustrations. I held my painting up to the light and it felt like stained glass. I put it on the lightbox and BAM! I was awestruck at how rich the color looked. After that I gave up Toy Design and worked at finding a loft to become a fulltime painter.

TONE: Tell me about the first light box you built and some of your struggles and joys with that.

JOHN: I find NO joy in building the actual light box. That is to say the components and hardware, wiring etc; I do enjoy making the doors and weathering, distressing the box to make it more sculptural and interesting though.

TONE: The paintings within the light boxes I have seen have been very abstract, very colorful and almost psychedelic for lack of a better word, when your painting, what is the visual aesthetic you are reaching for and why?

JOHN: The last thing I wanna be is known as a psychedelic painter but I do recognize the similarities. I’m sure people on drugs love my work, but my work is about energy, essence and the interaction between very primitive energies at the core of our existence. Reminiscent of what you’d imagine exists deep within the ocean, way out in space or happening right now within your body.

TONE: What is ROCKSOUP exactly?

JOHN: RS began as a collective, with the intention for all of us to put on large scale arts events and share the burden and success. Then we got a Gallery for a temporary run and our mission was to hold small weekly events and be a center for the arts. Since then we’ve streamlined and now we do some big Art shows like Studio tour here in JC and shows during Art Basel in Miami as well as curate a lounge I’m resident artist at in the Bronx called The Gallery Lounge.www.thegallerybx.com

TONE: My business partner Trevz and I from NEWPOP always argue about shit. At first I thought it was a sign that things weren’t meant to be. However, it’s turned out to be positive as long as we keep it constructive. It’s the times that we don’t argue, when we hold it in, that are destructive. I never really realized how similar a business relationship is to an intimate relationship. Ultimately, I have learned a ton about myself. What kinds of struggles does ROCKSOUP have internally and how has it affected you personally?

JOHN: Well in the beginning I was disappointed with the ambition and dedication of a few, but now its mainly myself and John Ruddy running the show. We also work closely with Nyugen Smith on some projects. We all have distinct talents and even our share of flaws but at the end of the day I dont know anyone else who I’d rather work with on a creative endeavor and whenever I do meet someone I would like to work with I’m sure to bring them on board for a trial run which is definitely still in the spirit of collaboration which is the heart of RockSoup.

TONE: ROCKSOUP was involved in the last Art Basil Miami. Why were you down there?

JOHN: Art Basel is the most important Art event in the country and maybe the world. With so many galleries doing most of their sales there and so many international collectors its stupid to not at least be in Miami and try to catch some of the overflow. We work closely with Design Crib in Miami in doing yearly exhibits around Art Basel and every yr our shows get more cohesive.

TONE: With regards to you personally, what kinds of things inspire your art?

JOHN: Physics theory, nature of the universe, interaction between energies and nature and how clever it is.

TONE: When you are in a creative rut, what do you do to get out?

JOHN: I do something else. DOING is more important then thinking about what to do or what youre gonna do. So I just find something else to actually do and once the engine is on Im more likely to keep going.

TONE: I like to find out what people are listening to. Mostly because I hate finding new music myself, but I figure other people are interested too. So, what kind of music is playing in your studio these days?

JOHN: I’m the same way. I’m horrible at finding music and if I have to I fall back on the old tested and true. I play alot of Mobb Deep and Method man when I want hip hop, Soundgarden and Metallica for rock, some Pink Floyd or Bjork when I want to escape and then some Coldplay, Gorillaz or PJ harvey in between. I also love some good drum and bass when I’m really in my groove.

TONE: Does music have an important role in your life? If so, how. Does it influence your art?

JOHN: Drum and bass and house def were playing alot when i first started b/c i paint fast. Now its all on the mood. Music is crucial in an artist studio. It connects you to your soul.

TONE: Tell me a little bit about 660 Grand Street. It is the space you manage and also the home of ROCKSOUP. It’s a big building filled with many creative people passing thru. I imagine there must be a significant influence coming from that experience.

JOHN: I learn alot about artists and how they think, how they interact and often self sabotage. The building is a job these days but it began as a love for community. I like being in the studio with others. Im more creative that way. By the end of this yr I hope to have had more events and taken on more artists to breathe life into the building before I move on which I imagine will happen in 2 yrs.

One of the other ideas I’ve been throwing around is turning the loft into an Arts Hostel for international travelers who want to see NY but want character and community. We all seem to thrive off the creative energies of one another and people are at their most open when they are strangers in a new place.

TONE: Can you go more into the statement on artist self sabotage. I’m really interested in things like that because I’ve seen it and I still experience it myself. I think it’s a big issue.

JOHN: Artists tend to hide from their latent strength but simultaneously revel in it. It gives them their independence, their arrogance, their quirky nature and inspiration. but all too often they chase the proverbial dragon or sabotage their success by being lazy or unmotivated not to mention using drugs and alcohol as a crutch. I’ve dealt with a few addicts, seen one sad death of a talented painter and also witnessed my own forms of escapism dictate my path at times. Its a bunch of hard lessons until you decide to take accountability and structure your conduct.

TONE: Tell me about the area you call, “The Treehouse”. Where did that idea come from and what usually goes on up there?

JOHN: When I first moved in I saw that lil alcove in the building and wanted to build a Treehouse. It took me a yr to get around to it but I built in by myself in one day. Its just a place I go to when I wanna get away and have privacy. Sip some whiskey and think.

TONE: Lastly, if you could be anything else other than you are, what would that be?

JOHN: I wouldn’t be anything other then an artist no matter what my profession. I’d like to be a writer, philosopher, farmer and carpenter but all of that would be while I remained an artist. Unless were talking about ANYTHING else in which case I’d like to be a bird or maybe a planet.

You can see more of Johns work at his website, www.jfathom.com

When I first heard Homeboy Sandman perform live a little over a year ago, I remember thinking, “This guy is unique. He is genuine.” My homeboy Joey from Taste told me the other night “TONE just likes anybody who isn’t full of shit”. He couldn’t be more right. I was an instant fan just on the presentation. I liked the Homeboy Sandman shirt. He is a stark contrast to the droves of bullshit artists and arrogant asses I run into on the regz. Yea, I am a little bit dark over what I have experienced in the scene in the last 3 years but not with Sandman. I liked the flow and the presence. It’s hard to find this kind of musician these days. Almost everyone I know agrees that the NYC rap scene is floundering as it struggles to find itself. To find that unified sound and community it once had. For me, Homeboy Sandman and everyone else in AOK, are among a small group of new voices from NYC.

TONE: I’m curious what you think of yourself from the perspective of being important within the NYC indie Hip Hop scene? Do you think about yourself in this kind of way?

HS: I love NYC, but cats in NYC ain’t rhyming like me. I’m the only one rhyming like me. I don’t agree that the NYC rap scene is floundering. Maybe rappers trying to find themselves are floundering, maybe, but there’s plenty of incredible NYC talent running around leaving marks. Perhaps AOK is a better NYC representation because there’s so many of us and we’re all spread out throughout the city. But even then, am I the voice of Queens just because that’s where I’m from? Cats in Queens don’t be rhyming like me. Fresh Daily definitely takes a lot of pride in being a Brooklynite. We need some Bronx influence in AOK. Dope Bronx emcees to the front.

TONE: As I was saying before, the most refreshing thing about what you’re doing is how genuine it is. Everything I have seen on you, always has this streak of truth running through it. Where is this coming from?

HS: This is coming from me telling the truth. I imagine that cats who don’t tell the truth must feel pretty corny, but I mean I guess I can’t even understand it. Feeling as corny as I’d feel not being myself, feeling as ashamed, I’d have to stop right away. So either these cats are actually being themselves, or they have a much higher shame tolerance. God wants me to tell the truth. That’s why I do it.

TONE: I’m sure you’ve been asked this many times, but I am curious where the name Homeboy Sandman came from?

HS: The Sandman brings you your dream. You could be asleep, you could be awake. You could be daydreaming and that’s the Sandman. He puts these pictures in your head so vivid so real. How does he do that? That’s amazing. How’s he get in there?

The Homeboy is me. I’m your Homeboy. What do you need? I got you. And I’m easy to find.

TONE: Thats real dope. I like that.

TONE: Where are you from originally and how has that influenced your life?

HS: I’m originally from Elmhurst, Queens. Hip hop is pretty big there. It’s influenced my life a lot. My speech patterns. The way I dress. Things like that.

TONE: Tell me about your parents. Do they support your music career?

HS: My parents are the greatest. They support me 100%. They come to my shows sometimes and go nutty.

My mom is my dream girl. Too bad she’s my mom. Good thing she’s my mom though.

My pop is the man. Came over from the Dominican Republic at the age of 15. He didn’t speak a lick of English. Became a boxer. Was the man. Won the Golden Gloves in ‘82. Heavyweight Division. Undefeated amateur and pro. Major prospect. Got an unprecedented signing bonus when he turned pro. In his last pro fight he looked out at the crowd of wailing clowns who would never have the balls to step into the ring and realized that he’d just beat up the only other person he liked in the whole building. He quit right then. Didn’t want to beat people up for a living. He thought, what are you gonna do now Angel? I think I’ll become a lawyer he said. They gave him the look they gave me when I told them I was gonna quit law school to become an emcee. Probably even worse. He went to Queens College for 10 years. Then he went to Queens College Law School. Now he’s a lawyer. It’s because of my Pop that I am who I am today. I know I can do whatever I want whenever I want and whatever else anybody says means nothing. A great Pop changes a man’s life.

TONE: Word. Family is key. So, I have to hit rewind for a second. You were also going to be a Lawyer and dropped out of law school to pursue being an mcee?

HS: Yeah. I mean, I decided I wanted to be an emcee and not a lawyer. That bugs people out, but I think that given that fact that I wanted to be an emcee and not a lawyer, it would have been much more bugged out if I’d decided to stay in law school.

TONE: Dude, that’s monstrous. I mean, that kind of courage is big. I really respect moves like that.

TONE: So, has there been an event in your life that shaped the sound of your music or your character?

HS: When Courtney Sorenson introduced me to DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince in elementary school.
When Erik Bass introduced me to The Roots in high school.

TONE: Are there any social or political issues that drive you and your music? If so, what are they and can you go into a bit of detail on why they are important to you?

HS: I can’t stand anti-black music. You know, music that’s all about killing black people. Selling drugs to black people. Treating black women like animals. It’s important because anti-black music creates anti-black people. They’ve gotten black people to make it, that’s the way they’ve gotten it to go over so well. It’s working like a charm too.

TONE: Word. I gotta say, I am a bit tired of anti-white Hip Hop. Ill probably never buy another Common album as long as I live. Him of all people. I thought he was a wiser then he turned out to be. The last album had some references to white culture that were such condescending generalizations that I was done for good.

TONE: What is your feeling on the current state of Hip Hop?

HS: I love hip hop. Dope hip hop is great. There’s plenty of that. Whack hip hop is whack. There’s plenty of that. It’s unfortunate that people often times use the word “hip hop,” to refer to “popularized hip hop,” driven by the “they’ve” i referred to in the last question. Hop on the internet and visit my top friends. Go check out Oddisee. Go check out Blu. Tanya Morgan. Hip hop is robust.

TONE: Oh, I hear some tidbits in the direction of a favorite topic of mine so, tell me what your definition of a sell out is.

HS: A sell out is somebody who does something whack ’cause they got paid to do it.

TONE: Who are you listening to these days and in general what kinds of music influences you and why?

HS: Lately I’ve been listening to tracks that 8th W1 sends to me as soon as he records them. He is brilliant. Also I’ve been listening to Common’s “Electric Circus,” which is a fantastic album and has now displaced “Like Water for Chocolate” as my all time favorite from him. The way society at large allowed thier perception of that album to be formed by the press is shameful.

TONE: I still don’t get Electric Circus, but I have mad friends who tell me I am sleeping on it. Still, I go back to listen again and I’m like “nah”. But, since it’s been a minute since I did that, I’ll have to give it another listen. But, Im still not buying another Common album!

TONE: What was Homeboy Sandman like when he was a little kid?

HS: Telling mad jokes. Kind of a ham.

TONE: How has being down with AOK been an influence on your music and person?

HS: In my life report card I get a “U” in “Works Well With Others.” I’m something of a doloist. Working with AOK has helped me develop some techniques for working better within a group dynamic. Plus being around a musical mastermind like P.CASSO just rubs off on you.

TONE: Tell me how you got down with AOK?

HS: Fresh asked me to be down. I was like “No, I run dolo.” He was like okay, we’re putting you down anyway. I’m glad he did.

TONE: LMAO! That’s classic. Fresh is a funny dude.

TONE: So, what kind of things are Homeboy Sandman fans saying about you? I assume you keep track of this kind of thing via Facebook and Myspace.

HS: Answering this question will make me feel pompous. Suffice it to say, they are happy about what they’re hearing. And the are very enthusiastic. Energetic. And renewed.

TONE: What kind of projects are coming up and what can fans expect?

HS: I’m working a lot with P.CASSO as “Dubble Dragons.” I’m working a lot with the 2 Hungry Bros. I’m working a lot with Sucio Smash and Highwater Music. I just make a bunch of stuff without knowing where it’s going to wind up and then figure it all out later. Fans can expect hip hop that’s never been done before. Sensational ish. Flows so dope you’d love ‘em evn if I had no lyrics, and lyrics so dope you’d love em even if I had no flows.

TONE: Gimme an idea what you’ve got in the chamber with regards to production? And you know I gotta shout out my homeboys Ben & Deep, The 2 Hungry Bros.

HS: 2 Hungry Bros are dope. They’ve got so many sounds. Hard ish. Pop ish. Gritty ish. Fluffy ish. All dope. Core Rhythm did a lot of production on my last album. He did “Lightning Bolt. Lightning Rod,” “Airwave Air Raid,” and “Opium.” Core is a genius. You listen to them three joints and they all sound crazy and they sound nothing alike. He doesn’t even have a “sound,” except for the fact that everything he does sounds dope. Jah C produced “Eyes on Vinyl,” which is a bonkers cut. He’s crazy ill. He produced another joint that’s not out yet that’s gonna feature me and the New Rap Order, which in addition to AOK is another crazy formidable NYC based brigade to watch for. My production well is abundant. I just did a record produced by Psycho Les of the Beatnuts, which was dope. The record I recorded before that was produced by my man Thieven Stephen. I’m bout to rock another ill R.Thentic beat. And I’m bout to rock an ill Ben Grymm beat. I’ll work with anybody who’s dope though. I look forward to rocking over some Von Pea beats, from Tanya Morgan. I rocked a couple Fresh Daily beats too. He’s a pretty ill producer on the low. But those are in the vaults for now. Then you got Prezzure who produced AOK’s “To My Homey (Remix).” I’m constantly writing. I can answer this question forever.

TONE: If you could rock over beats by three well known producers, who would it be. Just to be clear, I am talking about Primo type status.

HS:
1) DJ Jazzy Jeff
2) What ever happened to Shawn J. Period? Not J. Period the dope mix-tape DJ. Shawn J. Period who did “Universal Magnetic,” for Mos Def. I think he did “If You Could Huh” too, off the first Sound Bombing. Then he had some other dope ish with Pharoah Monch. His ish was 100%.
3) Madlib has some amazing stuff
4) So does Dilla. I didn’t go beyond the parameters of the question since Shawn J. Period is not well known. Unfortunately.

TONE: Crazy. Shawn J. Period is also one of my favorite producers and is responsible for one of my favorite tracks of all time, “Body Rock”.

TONE: If you could be anything other then who you are today, what would that be?

HS: The honest answer is that I can be anything other than who I am today and I prefer to be who I am anyway, but for the sake of not dodging the question I’ll say an astronaut ’cause it’d be cool to be up in space floating. That might get old quick though. There’s a bunch of painstaking ish that goes into being an astronaut that I don’t even know about too. I’d prolly switch back to being an emcee pretty fast.

Shouts to DJ Sosa and Champ Parle.

Peace.

DOWNLOAD “EYES ON VINYL” HERE

Sometimes you meet someone so humble about their art that you almost forget how talented they are. I’ve been working the NYC scene for a little over 3 years now and I’ve got boxes of mixtapes and demos from artists I’ve met while out shooting and networking. Some suck, some are average and then some of them, well, they are just plain dope. I met Marty through my homeboy Cal who I met at Sway on a Monday night. Cal and the rest of the “ALIEN” crew are alot of fun and always bring with them good times. One night, Cal told me he was working with this artist and was wondering if I would be interested in shooting him. We setup a very informal shoot during the summer. I scouted a couple of locations and shot an editorial style group of images over two days. On the second day it was just me and Marty and I got a chance to really get to know him, his connection to music and his family. As a photographer, it’s really dope when I get a chance to know my subject and that opportunity doesn’t always exist. Marty struck me right away as more then just someone I thought was good people, he struck me as good human being. I’m not the guy concerned with vanity and your outsides, for me life is about whats inside and he came across as modest but confident and yet unafraid to talk about his struggles with a career in music versus the 9 to 5 route. Who can blame him. The rap game is a gamble and for a kid attending college, this kind of internal debate is not only justified, but very wise. I am a high school drop out and not one day goes by that I don’t regret staying in school so I connected with him immediately on the issue. Luckily, Marty is managed and promoted by a collective called, The Murphy Group that is firmly planted in his corner. We should all have a team like them.

And so, in closing this opening paragraph, and because I am a fan, I’m going to have to quote one of my favorite movies, A Bronx Tale, “there is nothing worse then wasted talent”.

—

TONE: These days, music is all over the place. We have cats who say nothing with their music, others who say alot and then those somewhere in the middle. What point do you hope to make with your music?

MARTY: I hope to inspire and motivate people to be themselves. When you think
something is funny, laugh at it. If you think something is sad…shed a
tear, maybe even two. Just act as you feel, feel me?. I feel like
people are not only more critical of others now more than ever but they
are more critical of themselves especially with blogging at an all time
high, and because of that people are either afraid to be themselves or
afraid to be too much like someone else. Through the music, I just
hope that people feel that I’m being true and respect it enough to want
to do the same.

—

TONE: Is inspiration and motivation something that comes to you easily or
is it a struggle and how so?

MARTY: Inspiration isn’t hard for me to come by because I’m inspired by almost
everything. Whether it be a scene from a movie I watched or an
argument between some dude and his girl in the supermarket, I’m going
to take something away from it.

—

TONE: How has the environment you grew up in influenced you creatively?

MARTY: Well I grew up around my family members who migrated from Jamaica and
Jamaicans don’t care what ANYBODY thinks so they taught me to be myself
from the beginning but where I grew up, there was a lot of everything.
From the 3-car garage gated communities, the 2-family apartment
complexes all the way to the one bedroom welfare housing and even a cow
ranch or two. I feel like the fact that the spectrum was so wide
allowed for me to be exposed to so many different things that would
later on influence my music. I’ve been to the pool clubs where the
wealthy had annual memberships and I’ve been to the hood where niggas
were getting knocked out and robbed for wearing the wrong color or
having new Nikes on. All the mixes of social classes, styles,
genres and cultures forced me to open my mind at a young age so
although I’m deeply rooted in Hip-Hop, my subject matter is ever
changing.

TONE: How have you been affected by Barack Obama being elected as
President?

MARTY: I’ve been extremely inspired. It proves that with hard work and
dedication you can do anything you set your mind to. Now it’s like,
“Damn Marty, Barack has the whole world listening, the least you can
do is get a few people to download your shit and feel it.” Sidebar:
Download my shit!

—

TONE: What musicians influence your music and in what way?

MARTY: I’ll have to say my biggest Influences musically are 90s R&B and
Hip-Hop/Soul artists like Common, Lauryn Hill, D’Angelo, Wyclef, Mos
Def and Andre 3000 but creatively in general I definitely look up to
Bob Marley as well as the Rat Pack. The way Bob Marley would just feel
the music and let it the music tell the story was unbelievable. And the
swag of the Rat pack?! Pshhh…you know.

—

TONE: Favorite comedian?

MARTY: Eddie Murphy hands down. Not only because his last name is that raw
shit but this guy is a comedic genius. Dave Chappelle is definitely a
close second though.

—

TONE: Tell me a little bit about the Murphy Group and it’s members.

MARTY: As of now, The Murphy Group is a collective of creative, motivated
individuals who have a passion for art and success. Each member has
their own niche and generally calls their own shots but when it’s all
said and done it all falls under one roof. The Murphy Group. Bloaw!

—

TONE: What’s going on with your current project (album)?

MARTY: I’m currently working on a 5-track concept EP with the multi-talented
Melo-X as well as the release of my first Mixtape dropping in the first quarter of 2009.

—

TONE: If you could be anything in this life, what would it be?

MARTY: If I could be anything in this life it’d be a “great role model.”
Yeh….it sounds cheesy…but when I’m gone, I want people to be able look
at the life I lived and say, “Damn, Marty was a real dude. Motivated,
respectful, ambitious…all that…” I want to be someone that kids say
they want to be like when they get older and at the same time, have
their parents respect it the same.

Peep more pics and an exclusive leak of one of Marty’s tracks on my website, PHOTOBYTONE.COM.

If you’ve been paying attention, then you probably know this guy. His signature look and sound have exploded all over NYC and the surrounding area. His face has graced dozens of photoblogs and magazines. He is rocking and his work deserves the attention. Read on and find out more about Brooklyns own, DJ / Producer / Photog / Graphic Designer, Ryan Rhodes aka Melo-X.

—

TONE: When did you start your grind in the music world and how have you grown since then?

MELO: I started rapping between the ages 7 – 9. At age 13, I started recording music and by the last year of High School my best friend and I were making DJ mix-tapes and selling them in our High School’s. This was around 2002 and that’s when I started recording my first album. Since then I’ve become a well rounded musician. I have alot of work to do and plenty to learn, but I’m making good progress.

—

TONE: There is alot of talk about Genre’s these days. THENEWPOP.COM, recently sat with some artists and had a lengthy discussion on the topic. It’s become a point of contention with many artists and musicians. Whats your feeling on the process applying a genre to music.

MELO: Genres and sub genres are for big corporations to package an artist and sell them to a certain market. This pigeon holes the artists into that certain box. But it’s also something we do mentally ourselves. When we have an artist that we’ve loved for years their style stays in our head. So if we hear a new artist and they give us the same feeling, we automatically assign the sound to the other artists we love. We do this over and over, so in a sense mentally we have all our music grouped into genre’s, sub genres, and categories.

—

TONE: Lately, some very cool musicians like Santo Gold have sold songs to big companies like Apple and Ford Motors for advertising purposes. Some people see this as selling out, but it seems fewer and fewer fans and musicians are turned off by it. Personally, Im cool with it depending on certain conditions. What’s your feeling on the term “selling out”.

MELO: These are the conversations that I usually get misunderstood because there is no official definition for what selling out is. If a dude who is broke, doing drugs, and selling drugs too survive, gets a record deal and blows up and sells a song to Pepsi, is that selling out? Is being financially successful selling out? I think selling out has nothing to do with big corporations. It has to do with the individual in question. Selling out can be a pop artist trying to be more urban because his or her record label wants to move more units. I think that’s selling out. I want to be a philanthropist so if selling my music to a big corporation will help me get more money and be able to help more people, is that a bad thing?

TONE: I agree by the way. For me, what determines whether or not one is a “sell out” is their motivation. If they are changing their music or art solely to make money, then I think that is selling out.

—

TONE: What conditions do you prefer when beginning to work on a new song. I used to like red lights, a full pack of cigarettes and a cold Heineken when making beats. Do you have any kind of rituals?

MELO: I like dark rooms when I write. And drinking wine of course. I like too have my room clean. I can’t work when it’s dirty, that’s the reason I take so long to do shit, because my room is always a mess. I got guitars, drums, records, cameras , jeans, clothes, teeth and all kind of shit laying around.

—

TONE: A common thread in all my interviews is the question of inspiration. As an artist we all go thru the ups and downs of being creative. We have moments, sometimes ages, when it feels impossible to create. What do you do when you are in one of these ruts? How do you get yourself out?

MELO: I like to solve the Rubix Cube, and play guitar. Doing those two things usually gets the brain working. I also play piano so I go through runs and chords to get my brain into music mode. I might watch documentaries on music. Sometimes hearing a new song that gives me chills inspires me. Often times just talking with an artist helps. I can’t just work to work. I never make beat CD’s for artist. That shit never works. I like the artist to be there with me working on the music. It always creates better shit yo.

TONE: You’re CD DJ. You don’t use Serato or Vinyl. You’re making noise all over NYC and your name is growing more and more and very quickly. What made you choose the CD route in an almost all Serato and vinyl based scene?

MELO: Shit!!! I used to have 7 crates of records I would take to the city to DJ. This was in 2005 when I started. I would pay $30 to goto the city in a cab and maybe get a ride home. But, I got tired of breaking my back and moved to CD’s out of convenience. Since then, I mastered every type of CD Turntable out there but I love my Numark’s because they have looping and cue pads that are similar too drum machines, so I get to freak that shit like I’m producing a beat. Recently, I got my Laptop, and I’m going to use both. I have too many CD’s and some are too old or scratched up. With Serato I can add a midi drum pad or keys to my set. I plan to start using that kind of setup so I can freak the shit retarded!!!! But, the main reason I didn’t get Serato when I started was because I was broke. That helped me to develop my own style. However, I dont want to get Seratoizm. It’s a bad disease you get with Serato. What it does is make DJ’s switch songs so fucking fast the audience never gets a chance to get into the groove. SHIT IS WACK!

—

TONE: So, you have a new mixtape out. Tell me about it?

MELO: The Mixtape is called “Mustafa’s Renaissance”. It’s a mix-up of original material, remixes and instrumentals. I’ve been working on it for the past year. It’ a big accomplishment and I’m very proud of it.

TONE: I know early on, you had some mentor type cats in your career, can you talk about them and what they mean to you?

MELO: My main mentor, who is also my manager, is Claude Dary. He taught me how to DJ and put me on to alot of music that helped mold me into the artist I am today. He heard my first beat, my first few rhymes, everything. He was always str8 up with me. Like, “you could get that scratch out”, or “you could do more with that beat”. Also I would say my boy Freddy, because we grew up together so it was a constant exchange of knowledge. He was always str8 up with me too.

—

TONE: Tell me a little bit about your current production projects. I think people know you more as a DJ then a producer and your production credits right now are actually very deep. You are working with some very relevant artists that are on the come up.

MELO: Yeah meng. Right now I’m working with Mickey Factz as his DJ. I also have been DJ’ing for a few other artist like Outasight, Theophilus London, and Rah-saan. As far as music production goes, I’m working with Theophilus London, Jesse Boykins III, Nikki Ntu, Marty MCfly, Outasight, Print, Shyvonne, Jasmine Solano and myself of course. Me and Nikki Ntu have produced and recorded an EP which will come out early next year. It’s called “A History of Dreams” and it’s a concept album based around different dreams and visions Nikki Ntu has had since we started working together. Its Incredible.

TONE: Whats it been like working with Mickey Factz? Dude is quite a character.

MELO: Mickey is my brother mang. We done toured together, chilled, got drunk, bagged shorties and so on. Thas my dude man. He is a true EMCEE. He is always writing and always coming up with different ideas for his band. Just very forward thinking. Alot of times at our shows out of state I just DJ and play his music however I want and he performs. That’s when we have the most fun. Wisconsin was the BEST!!!

—

TONE: ALIEN is a name that is very respected among a niche group of people. They have a huge following in Japan and you have been down with them for some time now. I’m curious what the deal is with them?

MELO: We are a collective of individuals with open minds. ALIEN is always morphing and evolving. It just does that naturally. We chill and talk about worldly things and put each other onto different ideas and books, etc. So i guess thats why there is a mystery around us. People can never put a hold on how we look or who we are. ALIEN has birthed so many looks and so many movements in the NYC inner city youth culture. Now we are just planning our next step to make ALIEN even bigger than we are now. We have a cult like following because we are more than just clothes, we are a collective of forward thinking creative minds. Who can beat that! We got music, art, fashion, everything and we try to input some knowledge into everything.

TONE: Electric Punanny has become a staple party for many young cats emerging and following the scene. From day one, it was bonkers at Sway. When you and DJ Jasmine Solano started coming up with the idea, what were you thinking?

MELO: Well one night a while back at 205. After a great TASTE party with DJ Equal spinning. I was in the basement and it reminded me of the old Bashment Reggae parties in Brooklyn where you were able too bang on the ceiling and walls. Then the way the lights were flashing it reminded me of an old rave. So I said, that’s a sick ass idea — Reggae vs Electro. I hit up jasmine cause she was the only cool female Reggae DJ that I LOVED and was a good friend with. We had lunch and I gave her the idea. Then I dropped the name, Electro Pum Pum. We paused for a minute and she said how about “Electric Punanny”. It was like magic! We saw big punannies flying in the sky with electric WINGS and all that. We plan on taking this shit on tour and also paying for some of our NY followers to come with us. The Punanny team (EP) can’t be Stopped. It’s Me, Jasmine Solano & Roxy Cottontail.

TONE: I was a fuckin terror when I was in high school. I skipped class all the time, never did my homework, played baseball tripping on acid, dropped out and so on. What were you like in high school?

MELO: In high school I was good and bad. I did my work because I didn’t want to get left back but I hated school so much that I did good just so I wouldn’t have to stay extra time. Don’t get me wrong, I cut classes, made fun of the teachers and all the regular shit too. Then in 12th grade I got on my grind and started selling Mixtapes and boxes of canned soda to everyone including the guards and teachers. Battling cats at lunch time and having dance clashes on the top floor where there were not alot of guards. It was a good time!

—

TONE: If you could be anything in the world other then what you are, what would that be?

MELO: Hard question because I do so many things, but I’d say a movie director. I mean I am going to be one some day, I am just not there yet.

I found Chico Mann one day in 2006 while I was searching the artists section of Myspace. Yes, stop hating, it has done lots of good for the universe. I sent him a message asking him if he would be interested letting me take photos of him. At the time, I did that alot. I was starved for portraits. He agreed to it, and with his partner at the time “Wilder” from another incredible band called “Chin-Chin“, we set off to take photos in downtown Jersey City. We have stayed friends since then.

Marcos Garcia, has a sound like nothing you have heard. It is feel good music. It is dance music. It is people music. It is unique music. It is creative music. My homeboy Melo-X spins Chico Mann at spots all over NYC. He is a huge fan of Chico Mann. If you know Melo, and you know how dope a DJ he is, you should let that be fair warning. Go buy a Chico Mann album. Dude has bills and a seed to feed and he cant keep making dope music for the people without support from his fans.

So, lets get into the life of Marcos Garcia, aka Chico Mann.

TONE:
1. Where are you from originally and how has that influenced your music?
2. Can you tell me a little bit about your parents?

CM:
I was born in NYC. Moved to NJ when we were little. Grew up in Rutherford, NJ.

My parents are Cuban. My mom and dad met at WBNX. My mother was one of the first women to have her own shows on Spanish language radio and my dad owned a few record labels produced many early 80’s merengue records.

I grew up with Latin music and all the other kinds of music we were exposed to in 70’s and 80’s NY/NJ. My cousins turned me on to soul, r&b, disco, and new wave.

I was breakdancing with my best friend, Chuckie Gunn, when we were coming up. We danced on refrigerator boxes to all the hits. When I needed glasses in 6th grade I wanted Cazals.

My dad was the first to introduce me to reggae as well. The guidos in NNJ exposed me to freestyle as they cruised the streets in their IROC Z’s

TONE:
You and I have talked a bit about vintage instruments so I am curious, what kind of music inspires you?

CM:
Afrobeat, Afro-Cuban, Brasilian, Funk, Soul, etc
Celia Cruz, Arsenio Rodriguez, Fela, Fania, Chico O’Farrill, Mon Rivera, Ismael Rivera, JB…
I could keep going and going.

TONE:
In general, what kinds of things motivate you to keep moving forward?

CM:
Being engaged in the artistic process keeps me moving forward creatively. I don’t see another way but forward artistically. I always have ideas for songs or production techniques I want to try. I usually write them down so there’s always something new to try.

TONE:
Growing up as a kid, what were you like? Were you a good student? What was your favorite toy?

CM:
I was a pretty serious kid. Good student and all that. Favorite toys usually were some kind of kung fu weapon…nunchuks, blowguns, stars… I loved Sunday afternoon kung fu movies on TV!

TONE:
I know that you are shopping a deal for your new album and being very selective about who you get down with. What kinds of challenges are you having with that process? You have a very unique style and sound, do labels know how to react to it? Are they nervous about it or is it mostly coming from your side of the negotiations?

CM:
I think a lot of the labels I’ve spoken to don’t really know how to market it. I’ve gotten lots of positive feedback though. I think I’m creating a new genre of music and labels for the most part look to release more familiar forms.

The label business is also struggling to stay afloat.

I’m selective b/c I want to work with a label that has vision, artistically and in terms of its business model. The old way of doing business is no longer viable.

I’m looking for a label to grow with that GETS what I’m doing and is able to push it forward.

I’m coming at this process with a long-term vision for my career. I really just want to keep recording, producing and performing.

TONE:
You are also a member of the world famous Antibalas. How has that experience been for you?

CM:
I cut my teeth playing with Antibalas…nuff said.

TONE:
How important is travel in your creative process?

CM:
I love traveling and meet folks all over. I find inspiration when I’m in a new place or when there’s a change of scenery.

TONE:
Speaking of which, do you have any rituals that you must do in order to be creative?

CM:
I have my process. It really is based on having a creative routine. I don’t get much creative work done when I’m away from home though.

TONE:
In 5 words or less, what is your current feeling on the state of the United States?

CM:
Hopeful for positive change.

TONE:
Do you have a favorite saying or mantra?

CM:
nah

TONE:
Incense. Yes or No?

CM:
Occasionally. I prefer cedar, sage, sweetgrass, copal

TONE:
Why do you hate milk?

CM:
Prefer soymilk over factory farmed milk!

TONE:
Who designed the newest Chico Mann logo and what was the thinking behind that?

CM:
My friend Luke O’Malley designed the pixel caricature of me. A couple of years ago I started drawing caricatures of my face on my guitar pedals so as to identify them. He had the idea to do it on the computer. Uncanny!

My homie SUE ONE has been around for a while in the graff world. He is one of those cats that is non-stop on the grind. He creates a prolific amount of work and as is the case with many graff artists these days, he is on the come up. Finally, the graff scene has been embraced by the mainstream. This will of course be a blessing and a curse in many ways, but for SUE ONE, it seems to be all gravy.

When I first me Raul, it was when he was a tattoo artist in North Bergen, NJ. SUE was inking up my other homie Steady Nixin with a custom tat of his MPC2000. Raul, has his hands in mad projects. He is a DJ, a musician, a tattoo artists a graff writer and probably some other shit that I dont know about. At the end of the day, he is an artist and a real cat. He is himself and could care less about what “demo” he should fit into. So, lets get into it with my homeboy Styles Under Evolution, aka SUE ONE.

TONE: Some people don’t know how you have contributed to the graff scene. Give me an idea what ways you have been influential.

SUE: At the time when graffiti was making its transition from the trains to the streets, I made my debut and also made a big impact in the New York City Graff scene. That was back in 1987. Getting up high, with the fattest caps was my trademark. At that time, we didn’t have stores or the Internet or anything where we could buy fat caps. It was all hands on techniques that took us to the next level. Bigger, Higher and Fatter was the motto.
With this mind set, me and my partners HEC & NOSE set on a thirteen year run from 1987-99. Until this day, I still got tags running in different boroughs. I made my mark in one decade and presently, I am evolving on to the next level. Along with other great Graffiti artists, we have helped pioneer the biggest subculture in the world. A free way of expression no matter what society thinks. This is one art form that will never die!

TONE: Do you remember the first time you tagged up? When and where was that? Can you remember what was going thru your head and why you did it?

SUE: The first time I tagged up was in the back of my building on 169 St., way back in 1980. I remember being so stoked because I had found a can of paint, I started to write on a wall to mark my territory. Seeing my tag from across the building on my way to school every day got me amped up.

TONE: Why do you still actively bomb? Most graff writers have put their cans into retirement but you have been steadily bombing since you started writing.

SUE: I’m just going through all the different levels of graffiti. I am evolving with the times. I learn more and more each day and apply that to my work. It’s what keeps me going.

TONE: Tell me about “Graffiti Sundays”. I covered one about a year ago, but you haven’t stopped!

SUE: GS is one of those things that you do for fun and it just takes on a life of it’s own. I hooked up with my boy Lust at the end of 2006. He wanted to come back into the Graff game. Not on the bombing tip but more on the piecing side of it, and that was fine with me. So on January 28, 2007,
LUST, AEK, SCET, ZKAE, EDAM and myself got together and did our first production.

When I got home that day, I put together a layout to share with my peeps. I called it Graffiti Sunday just for fun. I emailed it and posted it on my friends’ myspace.com’s pages. Soon after that, we started to piece every Sunday. Because most of us are older cats with kids and fulltime jobs, Sunday is the only day we can escape to do our thing. Soon after the fifth episode, other writers stared to contact me. and asking me how could they get down with GS. I hit them back and started hitting different spots. So far we’ve been to Newark, Passaic, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Connecticut, New Brunswick, Upstate Nyack, and Staten Island.

And so far, it’s been one year and 8 months of non-stop burning every Sunday.and it just keeps getting bigger. In 2009, GS is going global. We’ll be reaching out to other writers from different countries. A tour is in the works involving writers from Silver Caps & JAO crew. I just wanted to piece and got more than I expected. And that’s cool with me.

TONE: Who have you worked with on Graffiti Sundays?

SUE: Wow that’s a mouthful. To date, GS as showcased the following:
LUST, SCET BOOM, AESOP, AEK, RONE, NAST, ZIK, ZKAE, JOUST, MIKE DIE, EXIT, AR, ZAR, CASE, CESO, ABES, D5, TONE, KOMAR, CENT, DRE, EDAM, THEN, DZL, LOSER, YODER, ELU, ROND, DEMER, BEAN, SOCO, RUSK, PLASMAS SLUGS, RUSK, WEZ, EROTICA 67, CLARK, PANIK, VERONICA STAR, QUESTER, NAB, LOUIE 167, RE, SOEL ZIMAD, PURE, TORCH AND DSENT. There! I think I got everybody.

TONE: I see you’re being commissioned to do work in people’s homes! Thats dope! Tell me about some of those experiences and who has commissioned you.

SUE: I recently did an installation piece in interior-designer-to-the-stars Michelle Boyce’s home. I did this project in collaboration with artist Will Santos and poet/actor Mums, whom you may have seen HBO’s OZ. The result was a chic, urban design that gets your attention as soon as you enter the home. After that project was done, Michelle Boyce called me back and asked me to design a super-hero with a hip-hop theme for children. It was for her son’s room. Both projects were subsequently featured in an article in Uptown Magazine’s summer 2008 issue. I feel these projects have taken me to the next level because I got to work with talented people in a different artistic environment. Now I’m ready to hit a new market and that gets me amped!

TONE: In most of the interviews I have done to date, I always bring up inspiration. As a creative person, staying inspired is sometimes difficult. Most artists have things they do that inspire them and recharge their creative batteries. What kind of things do you do and what are some of your personal challenges around staying inspired?

SUE: Life and its every-day challenges inspire me. Being open minded and sharing ideas with other artists helps me to be creative.

TONE: Tell me about some of the other projects and collabos you have in the chamber.

SUE: I have a graffiti-coloring book called Graffiti Fun in collaboration with Lulu Publishing. You can see/purchase the book at www.lulu.com The book shows different illustrations of characters and 3D graffiti fonts that kids and urban collectors will love. I was also art director in a film called Sacred Game. It’s an independent horror film written and directed by Berdardo Chilindron, who’s a good friend of mine.(Thanks to Bernardo and Otheramerica for letting me be part of the Sacred Game project.) I have other projects in the works, but I can’t mention what they are just yet. Gots to look fresh for 2009!

TONE: You are also a DJ and musician. Have you been actively pursuing that or is it just a hobby? Tell me more about this side of you.

SUE: Like with every thing I do, it started out as a hobby and ended up becoming something else. I DJ’d at the Winter Music Conference in South Beach back in 2005. I hosted monthly party called Hunger in NYC’s lower east side for a year. At the same time, I was producing house tracks for Orbit lounge and Chemical Soul records. That was a crazy time let me tell -ya!
Then, in 2006 I got picked up by an internet radio station called FJS Radio to do a live show. I called it the Urban Assault Show. I hosted and DJ’d on it along with Ohmz, a former member of the rock band IIll Niño, DJ Brown 13 and Dee Shot, both from Cre8tive Studios. The show ran for a year. Now I’m just DJn’ for myself but am also still jumping into a few music projects.

TONE: What were you like when you were a kid?

SUE: I was curious.

TONE: What were you like in school?

SUE: I wasn’t a bad kid in school; just regular. But after school, it was a different story.

TONE: Do you have a drug of choice? What is it?

SUE: No chemical drugs. Only all natural stuff for me.

TONE: Any last words or shout outs?

SUE: Sure. I would like to thank Tone and Format Magazine for this Interview. And a big
shout-out to the Graff world in general. ORGANIZED RESISTANCE!!! STAY UP!

As some of you know, I have been taking photos at Roxy’s “Sway Mondays” (305 Spring Street, NYC) regularly since Jan 2008. When I first met Roxy in early 2007, I had no idea how to talk to her. What most people don’t know about me is that I am kind of a loner. Before becoming a photographer, I spent most of my time with a very small group of people.

It was not until Trev and I began to document nightlife in NYC that I was forced to learn the art of shmoozing. I still suck at it but I have learned the value of silence and a good smile. I can remember saying things to Roxy back in 2007, when I was shooting Sway on and off, that I would later say to myself “you idiot, what the hell did u say that for?”. I can laugh about it now but I felt like a real dork back then. All good.

Roxy is a pleasure for me to work with. She trusts that I do what I do well and she never forgets me on the drinks. I have watched her from the background for a long time now. As time has progressed and I have learned the ropes a bit, my respect for her has grown considerably. I’ve also been in some hater circles when her name has been mentioned. There are some who think she is aloof, stuck up, snobby and so on. What they really don’t get is, she is focused, to the point and extremely ambitious. At times, people who are intensely focused can be misunderstood and it’s my belief that this is the case.

Don’t get me wrong, Roxy is far more loved then not, but I felt it was important to address the negative words i’ve heard dripping from peoples lips. And, think about this, Roxy is a blond haired blue eyed lady making giant moves in a hip hop influenced scene typically dominated by males. So, let’s open our minds and really take a look at one of NYC biggest and best nightlife promoters.

TONE: Tell me about your first party. How much did you make if anything? Was it packed or empty? What did you learn?

ROXY: The first party I ever promoted was in High School for my female punk band The Fox Deluxe. It was a Valentines formal my sophomore year of High school. There was no budget and some other weird bands were on the lineup. Professionally my first party was in Nov. 2004 at John Street in the financial district with Hollertronix, MC Lix & Tim Sweeney. It was epic, a Sagittarius birthday Bash. I think I made about $300.
http://www.oxycottontail.com/v-web/gallery/JawnStHollertronix

TONE: What have you learned about yourself thru your hustle as a nightlife promoter, musician and DJ?

ROXY: I have learned more than I ever thought possible from my hustle in nightlife. I have learned that I have relentless creativity that could never possibly be contained at a desk or day job. My passion for music and bringing people together is something I live every day for. I’ve also learned that I love to talk. I can talk to anyone about anything. I’m a real business woman now and this is just the beginning of something big.

TONE: Sway is fast approaching 5 years old. Congrats! I’ve noticed that Monday nights at Sway have become a platform for other promoters to get their shit seen. How does that feel for you knowing that your hard work is now giving other people an opportunity to rise? Specifically, parties like Electric Punanny and so on.

ROXY: Thank you! Baby, Sway is 4 and a half!! Sway is like my living room. It’s almost like having a slice of heaven that I can invite all my friends & the rest of the world to. To give the youth of New York City a platform is an honor. To welcome world wide talent like Richie Spice, Max Glazer, Kid Fresh, Mark Ronson, Diplo, Ni** Sky, Benzi, Jeru, Alison Hinds, Crime Mob, Spankrock, Ninjasonik, A-trak, Rapid Ric, TTC, Melo-X, DJ Klever, Masterpiece Sound, Clark Kent over the years to name a few, the list could write a ridiculous book. To co-promote such amazing parties like Rice & Peas and put on other talent I see who are naturals like Dice, Gravy, Melo X, Good Peoples, Taste Crew, etc. these are my friends too and i have the utmost respect for them. We’re all making some noise. They know a good vibe, they live for great music. It’s only natural. I got put on, now I put others on. I couldn’t do it on my own.

TONE: Whats next for Sway? Are you thinking about handing it off to someone?

ROXY: Next up for Sway? Yeah I’ll hand it off to someone soon…

TONE: While I am on that point, can you tell us a little more about the history of Sway Mondays. I know you inherited it from someone else. What’s the story with that?

ROXY: The history of Sway…well it began in Jan 2004 with Aron, Mike Saes & RETAIL MAFIA (Frank 151, alife, aNYthing, DGAF & J$). They started a Monday night at a place called Jack Rabbit Slims on E. 10th (no longer there) and eventually they moved to Sway after a month. Vegas used to do the Mondays at Sway, Justine D was one of the DJs. I used to go with her when we lived together, it was legendary but he stopped doing the night and Mike & Aron took it over as RETAIL MAFIA PRESENTS (rip)…Futura did the first flyers, they booked traditional hip hop…Red Alert, Ralph McDaniels, Mark Ronson, Vinny Ponte, and some more legends. The crowd was just me and the boys. Miss those days….so one day I said “Yo I wanna do an all female DJ night called Girl on Girl, give me once a month, we need more girls in here”. So I got once a month, booked Christine Renee, Queen Majesty, DJ Elle, DJ Lindsey, DJ Moni & DJ Kiss. All my homegirls and girls I’d heard of who Djed, I started DJing. It was really successful, my monthly party was doing really good so eventually they gave me twice a month and then gradually every week. I wasn’t expecting it at all. This all fell into my lap.

TONE: What keeps you going? Where do you find the inspiration to keep going. I mean, I’ve been shooting parties for only 2 years and I am starting to get bored to death. What would you tell someone who wants to keep going but cannot find a way to rekindle their excitement?

ROXY: Wow, i don’t even know. I have a big fat wick somewhere up my Cottontail that stays a flame. I guess its music, money, being a positive role model for women and turning a hobby into a career. My passion for seeking, hearing, returning new music to the youth, i love that. Also assembling a team of Cottontails is amazing, the youngest are 19, they know newer music and keep me excited about everything under the sun.

TONE: Can you tell me something that happened to you since you started your solo hustle that was really wack?

ROXY: Wackness… Damn, I’ve had a couple crazy scenarios go down. I don’t really like putting negativity out there. I could out some “friends” but it would only bring me down to their level. The wackest $ loss was when I booked Andre Nickatina in Miami for WMC 2006 and he didn’t show..bummer.

TONE: There seems to be a crew of ladies that are grinding hard on the nightlife tip. You, Good Peoples, The Mean Red Girls, Miss Nelch, Justine D, Ill P, FPC and so on. How do you feel about being a lady in this scene? Do you think there is an issue here or not?

ROXY: I love being a lady on the scene. These girls are great at what they do. Is there an issue? The issue is we rule! Take notes boys.
TONE: Truth. Guys, class is most certainly in session.

TONE: Roxy has some haters. I guess the thing I hear most is that you’re too click-ish and that the whole scene you roll with is very High School. Whats your feeling on that?

ROXY: Haters, cliques & high school. I was the Punk Rock Prom Princess my Senior year of HS. I fixed that poll like a real politician. Kissing babies. It was a lot of fun then too.

TONE: I think alot about the promoters hustle. Im fascinated by the science of it. The positioning, the process of building smart alliances, working in sponsors, email blasts and physical flyers, dealing with bars, etc…. When Texas and I started working on the first NEWPOP event, NO CAMERAS ALLOWED, I instantly had even more respect for your hustle. What is your favorite and least favorite part of throwing parties?

ROXY: Thank you Tone!! The promoter hustle. Ah where to begin!??! Branding? Bullshit? or Babes? People really do think its easy work, drink a bottle, show up to the party, invite some friends… but it’s so much more than that. It’s a 24 hour operation. Then try making it look easy, if you’re a real boss you can make it all look like fun and games. Swagger, new music and watching people have pure fun with out judgment are my favorite parts of parties. My least favorite part is the lack of sleep.

TONE: If you could be doing anything else, what would it be?

ROXY: I’d probably be a surfer or a yogi.

Tanya Morgan is good Hip Hop. I’ve been wanting to work with them for a couple of months now but you know how the grind can sometimes distract you. Thankfully, Shine up at Crack Distributors recently had both TM and my crew, THE NEWPOP up there for a little radio/video interview which was what I needed to remind me to make them a priority. Yes, these guys are a priority for anyone who likes good Hip Hop. 2 albums deep, Von, Don and Elyas have been working hard non-stop. I recently worked this interview with them while they are on tour with Souls of Mischief. Word.

1. Brooklynatti. Fresh name. Is there a deeper meaning behind this name?

Donwill: For me the name is about a state of mind. Most bands build a buzz locally and branch out, being technically we don’t have a hometown so we just made up our own city.
Vonpea: Thats just our way of saying we come together to create something that stands alone from us seperate. im from brooklyn and theyre from cincinnati but together we try to be 3 guys in their own world

The strategy was to just make a current album that reflected us. We have transitioned a lot in the past few years and this ep shows that growth.

2. I noticed you use a baseball sound effect in The Bridge and Moonlighting. Whats the story with that?

Vonpea:Thats something i decided on when i was in high school, inspired by rashad smith using the dice sound in his beats back in the day. thats the effect i put in some of my productions because i used to call where i recorded “the batting cage”
Ilyas:Yeah thats Von’s signature. haha

3. I’m sad to say, I only discovered you guys about 8 months ago (u gave me a CD at Sway), but it seems the name Tanya Morgan is in alot of peoples mouths these days. Do you feel like something pivotal recently happened?

Donwill: I think its got a lot to do with us releasing a new project. I mean we’ve been touring since our first album but a lot of time mags n shit don’t cover you until the album drops.
Vonpea: It’s been about 5 years of us just doing shows, making music, and pushing ourselves out there so id say it definitely didnt happen overnight.
Ilyas: I also feel part of it is how most groups 2nd round projects/album is what people catch on to first. Kinda like Tribe’s 2nd album and The Roots 2nd album. Most people hear your 1st album 2nd and your 2nd album 1st.

4. You guys are from all over the place. How did you meet and then start making music together? Isn’t it hard being so far away from each other? How have you made it work?

Donwill: Our songs are done like emails. Its just like a reply all convo via email where we just contribute to the same demo to make a full song. That’s always been our method of workinf, its just how we are used to working
Vonpea: Donwill and i met because i sent him some demos i did back in 2000 and he sent his back, we knew each other off the net. its not really hard to do we just pick the track and write & record to it seperately and it usually works out.
Ilyas: Its been an easy experience. It also gives us time to meditate on what we want to bring to a song as opposed to being in the studio all at the same time and having to do it even if we’re not feeling it at the moment.

5. Tell me a little about your recording process. We had a brief discussion about Cool Edit and it sparked my interest. Drop the math homies. I must know more.

Donwill: Well you know we just make due with what we got. No big budgets, no major pushes, just good music believers and supporters. After all aint that how this thing started?
Vonpea: We all record different ways but i usually record with cool edit pro. i believe ilyas uses acid pro and don uses cool edit. hopefully people dont read this and start looking beyond the music and looking into the process like “aww man i can hear that this was recorded with cool edit” haha

6. I gotta ask again, whats the deal with your name? Tanya Morgan…

Donwill: its all pretty arbitrary. The name has no deeper meaning at all.
Vonpea: Its just an unconventional name…no different than rock groups or even some rap groups.

7. I recently found out you guys are touring with Souls of Mischief. I think thats gonna be a great look for you. Whats your feeling on this new experience?

Donwill: its gonna be crazy. As a fan alone its sick to be billed with them but you know hiero hustles hard. They are the template to so much shit, im just excited to get to be around it all.
Vonpea: Its gonna be cool as hell, im excited about it…the first show is tonight actually.

8. We officially started working on your music video July 6th. I feel like we clicked when we first met to talk about the concept. Do you guys feel like you want people to perceive you a certain way and if so, how do you want to be perceived?

Donwill:We are artists who are serious about our craft. We put a lot of care into what we do and how its presented. Id just like us to be percieved as serious artists above all. Everything we do comes directly from us and is intentional.
Vonpea: I want people to perceive all artists in a different way, i think the respect for artistry in hip hop is gone because a lot of artists have downplayed what they do so much. like “oh i made this beat in 10 minutes” and “we did this song in 30 minutes” things like that make fans lose respect for what you do, because youre telling them its nothing, so they eventually believe it! i just want not only us, but all artists to gain the respect of fans again by showing them that this IS hard work and we DO take time to make music we believe in and stand by.
Ilyas: Just as I guy that loves wha he does thats all…for now anyway.

9. The Bridge includes some new sounds. Maybe a bit more polished. What were you thinking about when making the new album. Was there a strategy?

Donwill: The strategy was to just make a current album that reflected us. We have transitioned a lot in the past few years and this ep shows that growth. You can hear it in the beats and the concepts.
Vonpea: The main strategy for me was to show growth as a group, but more of a natural growth as opposed to really going out of our way to try new things. that doesnt mean it was effortless, just us trying to maximize what we can already do. the first album was finished in 2004 and released in 2006 so we’ve gone through natural progression. we wanted to officially put out another release with our current level of skill for creating music. the official LP is going to be more of an effort to do things we havent done without straying away from hip hop.

10. Im really feelin the Bridge album cover, who shot it?

Donwill: Rich louissaint @ www.thehomelands.net he shot the moonlighting cover also.
Vonpea: The art was done by an artist named Heinz out of Toronto’s Foundation Group.

11. The Bridge. Why that name?

Donwill: Its the literal bridge between moonlighting and bknati and the figureative bridge to tanya morgans hometown. It takes you to brooklynati.
Vonpea: The bridge is the middle-man between the first LP and the next one, its the pit stop inbetween official albums.

12. Who are you guys listening to right now?

Donwill: donnie hathaway, stevie wonder, che grand, blu, wale, the donuts samples… a lot of stuff.
Vonpea: c.r.a.c. knucks, nas, the old def squad album, n.e.r.d., and j*davey
Ilyas: Perfect Circle, Tool, Ice Cube, Piakahn, Nine Inch Nailz, Outkast

13. When is our photoshoot?!

Donwill: shit you tell me!!!
Vonpea: soon as all 4 of us are in the same city!