In depth too, then my alliteration ran out. Peep this great interview with one of the dopest female MC’s in the game, Invincible, over at Sweeny Kovar’s Classic Drug References right here. If you’re unaware, her new album Shapeshifters is in stores now. Cop it and go make friends with her too.
Let’s keep the A-Side Worldwide theme going for another post, shall we? Buff sits down with HHO and discusses the sounds and messages in his new album, There’s Only One. He’s on point with “Beat The Speakers Up.” That’s just what Sound Session does every weekend.
One of the best blogs out there, illRoots, linked up with one half of Inverse, Tunji, for a quick Q&A session. Tunj speaks about the group’s sound, their inspirations, and gives us a little information on their upcoming debut album, Long Day’s Journey. You can peep the entire interview here.
If you still haven’t downloaded their So Far (The Collection) project, slap yourself and then grab it here.
Ruby Hornet just posted up a great interview with Rhymefest that I highly recommend y’all check out. They talked about how Fest’s approach to music has changed over the years, his “Stolen” video, how you have to be the change you want to see in the world, and much more. Here’s a sample:
RubyHornet: When you speak about that perspective, how important is it for you as an artist to be able listen to other people’s experiences and stories? We think of emcees as great speakers, but is there an exchange that has to happen? Do great artists need to also be great listeners?
Rhymefest: I think anybody who is going to be successful in anything needs to be a great listener. Let’s take Barack Obama. The other day Barack Obama was speaking at a town hall meeting. Somebody stood up and started yelling, and the people started booing him. He said, ‘wait, wait, wait. Don’t boo him. What is he saying?’ And the guy said, ‘you never do the pledge of allegiance. Do you love your country? We didn’t even do the pledge of allegiance, and you’re talking about America.’ And people started booing him. [Obama] said, ‘wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. We didn’t do the pledge of allegiance. Somebody was supposed to do that before I got up and started speaking and they didn’t. You know what sir? You lead us in the pledge of allegiance and I’ll say it along with you.’ He put his hand on his heart and the audience roared. What if he wasn’t a good listener? Imagine how the Republicans would have killed him with that. You know, he played it smooth. Listen, this song that I’m coming out with, “Stolen.†It was because I was listening that I had the inspiration to make another song. It’s because I really listened to somebody who really lived through it. Don’t get it wrong, Alex. You can listen, but I’m not making any excuses for ignorance. Ignorance has no refuge.
Amen. Read the entire interview here, and be on the lookout for El Che when it drops. It’s going to be a great record.
The homey Emilio got a nice feature on Loud Favorites the other day. He talks a little about his background, the Phaze One project, DJ K.O.’s upcoming album, and his own EP due out soon. If you missed his video for “That Time,” check it out here. Bonus footage of Emilio spitting some bars (killed ’em!) after the jump.
Spotted at the Dopehouse.
The second part of the interview with Wyclef, Lauryn, and Pras in Toronto from 1994 (first part here). Still crazy to think this happened almost 15 years ago. Can you imagine if the Fugees stayed together? I think they’d be right there challenging Outkast as the greatest group of all time. Without exaggeration, The Score, The Carnival, and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill are all in my top 10, easily. Look out for a new interview with Clef this weekend where he reflected a lot on these “good ol’ days.”
Video courtesy of The Meaning of Dope.
(if you prefer YouTube, go here)
I remember hearing Kardinal Offishall for the first time after stumbling upon his “U R Ghetto” joint (a classic, btw) during the Napster glory days in 2000. A couple years later, he dropped Quest For Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1 and from then on, I was a huge fan. Nobody combines raw, lyrical, boom-bap hip-hop with dancehall/reggae as well as Kardi. We brought him through the Sound Session studio a few weeks back while he was here in Seattle to open up for Wyclef Jean. It was fun to meet him just cause I was a fan, but it was even doper to find out how cool and intelligent dude is. Definitely one of my favorite artists out there.
We talked all about his upcoming Not 4 Sale album, breaking into the mainstream with Akon, his background growing up in Toronto, the differences between the Canadian and American music industries, his dream collaboration, and much more. Like I said, he was mad cool, so we ended up having a real long discussion. If you want a front row seat, you can watch the entire interview above, or you can download the broadcast audio feed below:
Kardinal Offishall on Sound Session – http://www.mediafire.com/?hzttvhqcyyv
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/16484508ab15efc9/ )
Remember to cop Not 4 Sale on September 9th! In the meantime, download his Limited Time Only mixtape here. It should tide you over.
W.T.F. Not informative, but hilarious. I assume this happened when “Glow In The Dark” was up in Vancouver about a month ago.
Spotted on KayCee’s bloggy blog.
Here’s a new interview with Kardinal from Hip-Hop Official Offishall. Some nice basic info is discussed, but I must say, the interview we just did with him smashes this one. I’ll have that for y’all next week, since I’m going to air The Game interview this weekend. Anyway, Kardi is the man and I’m psyched he’s getting some good publicity this time around.
Spotted on 2 Dope Boyz.
Lupe’s MTV interview gets interrupted by his new artist, who reminds me of half the callers we get on Sound Session. I was hoping a little cypher might pop off there.
Swiped from The Lupe Fiasco Show.