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What have ya'll been doing lately?
We started bossupbu.com, which is the new and official dead prez website and store, where we personally interact with the community and fans and offer hood news, dead prez merchandise, books from our independently owned book publishing company Boss Up, Inc. including ... "The Art of Emceeing" for aspiring rappers, poets and songwriters, available at Howard University Bookstore, Fat Beats, and other bookstores around the country.
Can you talk about your book "The Art of Emceeing"?
The book covers all the basic aspects of hip-hop songwriting. Some of the areas discussed and explained in "The Art of Emceeing" are: 15 ways to defeat writer's block, lists of natural herbal voice care remedies, skill developing exercises on writing and delivering your rhymes more skillfully and effectively, understanding the methodologies of different lyric styles, useful studio recording information and live show performance tips, easily broken down publishing pointers and information so emcees and songwriters can avoid a lot of the standard industry pimping that goes on when you are ignorant to your rights and responsibilities, so you can make sure and get the money you deserve and make a living at your art.
What's the purpose of the book; in other words, why'd you write it and what's it all about?
The purpose of the book is to share insight and inspire creativity. To help improve skills from 20 years of experience. To document our culture as emcees in our own words from someone who really lives it. So that the outside views of the stiff scholars and whitefolks at MTV don't have the only voice about what hip-hop is and is not. So the new emcees have encouragement and guidance to push their careers to their fullest potential. The old Afrikan proverb, "To teach is to learn" expresses how the book is yet another stage in my own growth and understanding of the craft, having to articulate the creative aspects of emceeing has been a fulfilling challenge and a rewarding endeavor into encouraging and strengthening my own skill as a writer and emcee.
I heard you moved to Atlanta. Why? What's the difference between that city and the other places you've lived?
I moved to Atlanta to set up Warrior Studio ATL to launch the publishing company and to begin owning more of the resources and means of production. Atlanta's business and cultural environment is very conducive to this stage of the plan. It allows me to work professionally and yet spend more quality time with my family, because my roots are from the dirty. My son is receiving a powerful Afrikan-centered education in the Southwest Atlanta Community and everything is moving forward as planned-on a mission to boss up.
What have been your frustrations with the music industry?
The blatant cheating, lying, runaround and incompetence found in so many of the record industries, slavery like corporate company policies and practices.
So what keeps you going?
The mission to make an impact in the game and the art with content, creativity, quality, consistency, integrity and longevity. To provide for my family's future and present.
What don't you and M1 see eye-to-eye about sometimes, creatively, ideologically, politically and relationship wise?
Me and M1 are so alike we can be on two different continents doing an interview with two different magazines or TV shows and I guarantee you 95 percent of the interview would be almost identical. We are complements but we are not identical. M1's a great host and spokesperson. I'm into the creative and production aspects but we both share the work that needs to be done. And where we see things differently, we discuss it and come to resolutions or we give each other that grown man space to do what you got to do. We support each other and we have a bond that is strong and very sibling-like. That's my dirty for like 15 years or more so we know each other enough to respect each other but be ourselves.
How do you mediate those differences?
Respect, communication, arguments and love.
Why did M1 decide to do a solo joint?
Because M1 is a visionary, and he has started to produce and we both felt like we wanted to express ourselves individually while we have the opportunity in our careers. Dead prez is still a unit and will be as long as the music is inspired to come through us as a group. My solo project will be coming out after M1's and the dead prez album will follow that.
Was the march the other day an effective start to the ongoing Millions More Movement?
Effectiveness will be measured in the works that follow from that day at the movement. The networking was a positive aspect of the movement.
What did you think about the march in and of itself?
There was disorder but ultimately I was happy it occurred and I hope that the people out there in the streets connected, exchanged info and are continuing the relationships and implementing the changes they need in their respective areas.
So do you think it is time to STOP marching? If so, what's the alternative? If not, why not?
I think we have to try a theory, see what works and keep trying different ideas until we find what works the best. Marching has its pros and cons, just like voting, selling drugs and any other form of activity you see in our community. We have to continue to spread our experiences and insight and keep grinding in the struggle til we free.
In five bullet points, tell me what you think are the most serious problems facing your people either politically, economically, or culturally?
Indoctrination, poverty, lack of skill-based education, disorganization and a lack of accountability, and drugs and poor health.
What is it going to take to get black people to take action against those five serious problems that you just mentioned?
Self-education, professional quality economic grinding, structure with rewards and punishments, discipline, resources, reparations and more pro-active lifestyle choices.
So, do we need new strategy?
Or do we just need to implement old ones?
Both.
At the Millions More Movement in October, Farrakhan called for a ministry of defense, a ministry of education, a ministry of health and a ministry of arts and culture for the black nation at the march. What do you think the role of the ministry of arts and culture should be?
Independent international distribution and artist education and community awareness.
What do you say to people who say that dead prez is all political and not artistic?
Politics is the art of understanding and governing people. Art is the politics of understanding and expressing yourself. We do what we do. We strive to be creative and stay relevant. We got much room to grow and we have new projects on the way that will help satisfy more of that diversified palate but still keep the heart of what our message and movement is about. In order for us to change our political situation we have to paint a new picture for ourselves, for the way of life we want to live; one that will inspire is to build it in reality by any means necessary.
Do you think the artist should be an intellectual? And vice versa?
Everybody is intellectual because we all have thoughts. I don't think we should be corny and stuffy with knowledge chips on our shoulder. And I don't think [we should] be comfortable in not knowing what's going on around and in us because in ignorance we suffer. I think we should strive for balance with book smart and street smart. Intelligence and common sense...revolutionary but gangsta.
50 Cent, Jay-Z, Saul Williams, Common, Lil' Wayne… how are they different? How are they similar?
They are all powerful human beings with great skills to communicate their unique
perspective and share their lives with us through their music. 50 by far is the most enterprising of the list and he's a great example of getting control of your value in the game. With the talent of a giant, [Jay-Z is] truly a living legend in the game with the mind of not just a great artists but of a smart boss. Saul is extraordinary with his word play and is one of the best, lyric for lyric poets ever to do it. Common is able to represent a lot of diverse group of people with his personal honesty, humility and
skill. He is a beautiful person that has a good heart and his music is a positive force in many lives. Lil Wayne is the thugged out spirit of the youth. He is very talented and sharp with his lyrics and he is a brave storyteller. I think Lil Wayne is underrated.
The editor-in-chief of the Liberator, Brian, just got a half acre of land in Uganda last month. Is he ahead of you in the game?
Depends on what game he's playing. If we on the same team, if one wins, we all win, ya dig?
Why should anyone care about hurricane Katrina apart from the fact that people died and it is a tragedy?
Is there any bigger significance?
People should be aware of the Heal the Hood foundation founded by T.I. and David Banner. Also, the hurricane showed us our vulnerability to natural disaster and the need to create organizations and networks that can help our own people in times of crisis. The government is too busy killing people in Iraq and housing our people in prisons! The people of New Orleans and all the effected areas should be paid Reparations by the US government for it's negligence which directly contributed to the unnecessary death and suffering of thousands of our people.
But we won’t be
surprised if they aren’t. |
