INTERVIEW: RZA Speaks On 'Digi Snax'

Yesterday RZA and I chopped it up and spoke on his upcoming album Digi Snax, the associated tour, ODB4CL2 and sugar highs.

The latest installment in the Bobby Digital saga comes out July 1st (Koch) and it's called Digi Snacks. What can we expect and how does it relate to the previous BD albums?
The title says it all really, Digi Snacks. It's a snack for the people. Like sometimes you're looking for your scooby snacks? Well, here's your Digi Snack. (laughs). It's a little tease to get you back into that world of Bobby Digital.

Now if this is a little tease to take you back into that world, what direction should we imagine the next episode taking us into?
Oh we're taking you into a lot of different directions. We're working on a comic book, but I don't really want to talk about that yet. We're planning to bring a lot more fun to the game. You know how you love Hip Hop, and you wanna play it at the house but your girl is around and you have to turn it down?

Yes, I definitely had that moment with 'Domestic Violence' off of the first Bobby Digital album. It didn't go over so well. (Watch the classic video for 'Domestic Violence here.)
Because it's too much of the truth! (laughs) Well, the next episode, I'll have some more of your shit (laughs), but this time around I also have a couple of tracks on there that your girl will actually wanna turn up. We focused on just having fun with it. A lot of stuff I've done before is heavy and serious and this time I was like "f*ck it". Lets have some fun.


Photo part of 'Rock The Bells' series. More here.
What kind of people should we be thinking of as far as collaborators on Digi Snax? People from inside of the Wu-Tang Clan circle or more so outside?
I want to kind of keep that a surprise so when you pick up the album you'll have that experience. But Bobby Digital kind of lives in his own world, you know? He has his own crew. People like Holocaust always show up, and others like him. But there's some surprises for sure.

Even though it went platinum, I feel the first Bobby Digital album was somewhat under-appreciated when it came out. It's been ten years and I was wondering how you felt about the life-span and initial reception of that album.
You know, sometimes an album comes out and people miss it the first time around, but they discover it later on. It's like movies, a lot of the classic old flicks maybe didn't do that well originally. Some people got into it early, and they talked about it to their people, and slowly they'd come around to love it. I feel Bobby Digital is like that.

Just to switch gears for a second, what can you tell us about your contributions to Raekwon's upcoming album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2.
Well, I don't really know how that's going because Raekwon is in charge of that project. I haven't talked about it in like a whole year. All I can say it's going to quite a bit of Gambino. (laughs) We did a lot of songs together, and I'm on there in my Bobby Steels persona and there's some dope lyrics on there. But Rae is in charge so I'm not sure what he is keeping.

Now I hear you also contributed a track to the Dr. Dre's elusive Detox album. What can you tell us about that?
No comment! (laughs)

Annnnnd moving right along to your upcoming Digi Snax tour (see all dates here). What's a solo RZA tour like in the context of Bobby Digital?
Just a whole lot of fun man. A good time for everything, a real good time. One thing I like to do is that when I can get together with the people, and we can share that little bit of time, I want to make sure they know I'm thankful for buying my albums through out the years and for supporting us. So I want to make sure when we hang out, we have fun together. I mean, I'm still also going to embed some teachings, lyrically, like I always do, and things about society, but I'm mostly there for us to have a great time together. I'll be bringing Bobby Digital, but also some of my Bobby Digiteks (laughs). Expect to see Black Knights out with me, and Stone Mecca too.

I heard Digi Snax goes slightly beyond most albums in how the dirty and the clean version of the album differ aside from edits in language?
They have different cover artwork, and some songs are included only on the dirty version, or there actually two different versions across albums. Let me give you an example. There's a song called 'Old Day', which is only on the dirty version, and there's a song called 'Ice Cream' that's on both, but each version really flows from a different concept with a different angle lyrically.

So it's a lot more involved than the tradition clean vs. dirty versions. Is that a conscious choice this time around or is that something that you've always been concerned with?
I mean, in Hip Hop you always have a clean version also, so I've always been like that, but this time around I was just a little more deliberate about it.

Any last words for the readers about the new album?
As far as the album goes I also want to let people know again that it's a lot of fun and I want them to take time to have fun. I don't know if you drink, or smoke, but get what you do first, and then pop my CD in (laughs). And if you're underage, if you're under 16, then get yourself a lollipop, some bubble gum, and pop in the clean version and get that sugar high. (laughs)

VIDEO: Mickey Factz's SDSU Interview & Freestyle

Mickey Factz came through for an interview and freestyle. He speaks on performing with The Cool Kids, the definition of Hipster Rap, his lyrical influences, the state of Hip Hop and what's coming next for Mickey.

INTERVIEW: Kaki King

Little side-step away from Hip Hop. I did a photoshoot and an interview with Kaki King that just went up on Gothamist.com. Read an excerpt below and the whole thing here. The photos below are from the shoot and you can see the full 28 picture set here.

Kaki King is a guitar player and singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. She lived in Brooklyn for 7 years until last summer, when music started taking her on a permanent tour around the world. Her upcoming album is called Dreaming Of Revenge and will be released March 11th on Velour Records. King was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score for the music she played in the Sean Penn film Into the Wild, appeared on a Grammy Award winning Foo Fighters album and Rolling Stone Magazine has declared her the first and only female "Guitar God."

You lived in Williamsburg for about 7 years until you started a perpetual touring lifestyle last June. Do you miss the city when you're on the road or is it a nice break for you?
New York is the only place I know of where if you stay too long, you get sick of it, but the instant you leave you miss it. Things I miss about New York whilst on the road: 24 hour bodegas, instant cheap eats everywhere, amazing-looking people who are boring, boring-looking people who are amazing, a transit system that never shuts down, and a city of 8 million where you still manage to run into everyone you've ever known. Read the full interview here and the full 28 picture set here.

INTERVIEW: Cassidy

Today I spoke to Cassidy and we discussed his new album B.A.R.S. (The Barry Adrien Reese Story)., changes in the music industry, his recent Jay-Z comments, one-hit wonders, art vs. commerce, and Allen Iverson. He didn't pull any punches and had some interesting insights in the industry right now. Read a few excerpted quotes below and click here to read the full interview.


On his album sales: [...] I'm very happy with how I'm doing. We've got the #2 rap record in the country. Also, it's a good look because it's not like I've been releasing a lot of music since my last album, or came out with two videos before the album and a ton of singles. I was literally gone for two years [...].

On one-hit wonders: "Nowadays artists have their little hit song, but they haven't mastered their talent yet. They become one hit wonders that got lucky with one song. And labels don't mind. [...] People nowadays buy the hot track of the moment by the hot new artist, but they might not even know what they look like or what region they're from and they're not going to be checking for the album."

On art versus commerce: "I have a lot of love for the art and I would do it regardless even if I wasn't in the business."

On the Jay-Z comments: "It's not even a competition thing to me. I mean, how could it be? Jay-Z is the President of Def Jam, he's a 40 year old MC and has been a successful rapper for so long, he's made all that money and he has so many connections. [...] What I was trying to say originally was that Jay-Z is a bigger and more successful artist than I am, but my story right now is greater and more interesting than Jay-Z's story. It's not greater than his story then, from when he was a freshly successful artist, but it's greater than his story now. [...] People already know Jay's story, and he is an MC on his way out. [...] He can't be the hottest rapper forever."

If Jay-Z is Jordan then Cassidy is..: "Right now I'd have to compare myself to Allen Iverson. And I'm not even saying that because he's the best player in the game. [...] He is the best player, but he doesn't have any rings yet."

To get the full picture go here to read the full interview and read the quotes above in proper context.

INTERVIEW: Masta Killa Of The Wu-Tang Clan

Today I sat down with Wu-Tang Clan's very own Masta Killa and spoke on 8 Diagrams, his upcoming solo work, the Rock The Bells tour and more. We got to listen to some of the tracks off the new album as well. My comments and details on the new tracks are here.


Masta Killa @ Rock The Bells (NYC) Full set here
W: The Wu is about to release a new album, 8 Diagrams. How does it feel to come back together after a few years of everyone focusing on their solo albums?

MK: It feels real good. It's something the fans have been craving for a while and it was great to come back together with all the brothers again as family. Aside from that I'm also just real happy with the work we put in on 8 Diagrams. To me Iron Flag and The W were good, but I feel with 8 Diagrams we bring it back to the origin. Back to the 36 Chambers where there's a real intimacy between the brothers.

W: This was the first album where you guy worked with producers outside the immediate Wu family. Was that any different in terms of your collective approach to crafting a song?

Full interview after the jump.

INTERVIEW: Aesop Rock

DOWNLOAD Aesop Rock - Citronella (MP3)
DOWNLOAD Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass (MP3)


(Photo Cred.)
Def Jux is releasing Aesop Rock's new album None Shall Pass August 28th. I dig it, and even the well-known underground Hip Hop lovers over at EW do. Check out BrooklynVegan in a minute for a more aesthetically pleasing version of this interview.

W: Many of your previous records had a pretty clear concept or theme at its core. Labor Days being the most obvious one. Was there a specific idea that None Shall Pass was born out of?

AR: I guess that would be me turning 30 and freaking out about it. (laughs) I went through a few life changes. Turned 30. Moved from New York to San Francisco. Stopped smoking cigarettes. A bunch of stuff happened and it influenced the writing. The writing on this album is more reflective, for lack of a better word. I didn't want to do any braggadocio, no first person stuff, and get more into stories. Vivid descriptions of a snapshot of a moment in High School, first job, etc. and how all those snapshots add to who I am now at 30 years old.

W: Do you ever think ahead further than one album?

AR: No, that doesn't make sense with my writing process. I couldn't have told you I was making None Shall Pass until I was 3/4ths in. I just stay busy, hope something sticks. I couldn't ever plan ahead aside from maybe a theme or name for a song. Usually the way it works is that I just write songs and then there is one song that comes along that will be the first one I'll decide to keep. That one will kind of set the stage for the album's feel. 'Catacumb Kids' was kind of the key record that sparked it for None Shall Pass in terms of it being a snap shot of an era without resorting to the cliche "back in the day" stuff.

W: You did a song with John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats for this album. Are there any other indie rock musicians whose music you enjoy and you'd want to work with?

AR: Not really. I don't really listen to so much of that stuff. Me listening to John's music goes back to my first year of college. My brother introduced me to The Mountain Goats and for me it stood out from that genre by leaps and bounds. I tried to get into other stuff, but nothing caught me the same as far as John's verbiage and delivery. I hadn't heard anything like it or any better since.

W: How about some mainstream Hip Hop artists? Anyone you'd be interested in working with?

AR: Totally. I love Timbaland and Clipse, Jay-Z. But I have to say part of why I worked with John is because we became friends over time. I don't like blind collaborations or just going around ringing doorbells to collaborate for collaboration's sake. I mean, not to say that if Timbaland would call I wouldn't do it (laughs). Especially if it was for his own project or something. Or if we'd meet and it became a mutual thing, then fuck yea. I tried it once before with Camp Lo on Bazooka Tooth, and that took a few days. We really hung out. One of the guys brought his kid down and everything. We just talked a lot and it became a family thing where we connected and it worked out well.

W: Mainstream Hip Hop seems to be spiraling down in popularity right now. What are your thoughts on the state of underground Hip Hop?

AR: I think it's going down also to be honest. (laughs) The underground craze hit its peak in 2001/2002 with Def Jux, Stones Throw, Rhymesayers and other underground labels getting popular. But once you get past being people's critical darling, in order to get the same praise your new stuff has to be five times better than before, because there won't be that 'new artist' shock anymore. I just hope that people can appreciate diversity and originality again. The underground always focused so hard on staying true to their art, and in the mean time saw the mainstream take off doing the opposite. In the underground you're not suppose to be a biter, you're suppose to bring your own shit to the table. No one in those crews is suppose to sound alike, all different styles. But then in the mainstream you'll see a whole crew with one style. So I'm hoping maybe people will once again appreciate that originality and the diversity again, but I don't see it happening. (laughs)

W: Your upcoming tour features Black Moth Super Rainbow. They're kind of a rock band, but when I listened to them I connected them to Hip Hop right away as well. How did you hook up with them?

AR: I was looking to not do a bill with just 5 Hip Hop acts like I have on previous tours. That was cool too, but I wanted to switch it up and bring a band that my fans could appreciate. It was also important that it was a new band and just about the music, not about relationships. I came across BMSR, because my wife is a booking agent and she was sent their cd. They don't have a traditional Hip Hop sound, but they also don't have a traditional rock sound. But they do have sort of a Hip Hop drum pattern that I could rhyme over. It's not Hip Hop, but it's music I would sample to make Hip Hop. We also talked to Battles about doing a tour, and Octopus Project, but it worked out in the end with BMSR.

W: Can we expect more kazoo on upcoming Aesop Rock albums? ('Hands', the album bonus track, features a kazoo solo.)

AR(laughs) That was Jeremy Fish actually, the illustrator who also did the album artwork. (Aesop and Jeremy connected over similar bitter feelings about their respective industries). He wanted to play the kazoo on the record all along and while I was waiting for El-P to get his track to me I made one last song. I called Jeremy and told him it was now or never, so he came over, bought a kazoo on the way and he ended up being the last sound on the record. It was a one-taker. He has since retired his kazoo. We decided he wasn't going to ever outdo this performance.

Check out Aesop Rock's great new album None Shall Pass (Def Jux) in stores tomorrow

INTERVIEW: Bjork

DOWNLOAD Bjork - Bachelorette (RZA Remix) (MP3) Via SC
DOWNLOAD Clipse - Momma I'm Sorry (MP3) Via PopTarts
DOWNLOAD Bjork - Earth Intruders Extended Mix (MP3) Via CharlesRequina

by Olga Oliynyk

Bjork is one of my favorite artists so you can imagine how thrilled I was when I got to ask her some question as part of an interview for BrooklynVegan. Downright giddy really.

Here's an excerpt, one of the questions I asked her, with her answers. To read the full interview, that also include questions by BV and David Bruno, go here. I focused on the Hip Hop end of things as she collaborated with another favorite of mine, Timbaland, on her upcoming album Volta.

W: How did you end up picking Timbaland? What did he bring to the table?

Bjork: I have said this before but he was a big fan of venus as a boy , the bollywood strings and i remember him coming up to me at a party and saying he loved the bassline in that song and i felt pretty chuffed because i wrote that ! He also sampled “jóga” for a missy elliott track so we have had an eye on each other for a while . We were always going to work together one of those days . So i wasn´t really after a hip hop thing , i am just into him as a musician . It was kinda weird after we did that stuff together some hot hip hop producers contacted me thinking i was going to do a hip hop album . I was really flattered but that was not what i had in mind . I first sent timbaland some of the brass stuff i was working on but he felt it was too weird ( one of it was in 9/8 ) I walked into the studio with timbaland and he immediately played a rhythm and i sang on top even though i had a throat problem that day and 5 minutes later “earth intruders” was ready . Two hours later we had 3 tracks . I then walked away with the mutlitrack and edited it for a year and added other musicians on top . “Earth intruders” and “innocence” kinda happened in the studio with him and nate but “hope” i added on bassline later and then took it to mali , africa and toumani diabate played on top .

W: Are you a big fan of any specific previous work by Timbaland? What about Hip Hop in general?

Bjork: I think he is a genius . His beats have so much of his character and have so much humour in it , not gangsta kinda prangsta ! My favorite timbaland stuff is probably “slide” and “ain´t that funny “ with missy.

My favorite hip hop stuff of all time has to be public enemy : it takes a nation of millions to hold us back , nowadays i like clipse a lot . But overall i´m not too into the gangsta stuff like dr.dre , it is not musical enough for me ... The rappers too nasal ...

RZA of the Wu Tang Clan remixed one of your songs in the past, and there were rumors of a possible single, or even an EP together. Is that still something that might happen? Either way, can we look forward to any other hip hop-influenced Bjork in the future?

Oops , i don´t know , i guess i don´t think in these terms . I remember missy saying she thought homogenic was hip hop so it is a little abstract to me what is hip hop and what not . I go more for emotion , i was up for action and prangsta and that´s why i was up for timbaland . I wasn´t thinking hip hop.

This interview first appeared on BrooklynVegan in a longer format with more questions. The above is just my section.

Go here for the full interview.

INTERVIEW: My Brightest Diamond (08.22.06)

I spoke with Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond on her new album, working with Sufjan Stevens, and a lot more. Read below.



W: One of the first times I saw you perform was at Cross-Pollination with Dave Deporis almost a year and a half ago. Now you are releasing your first record as My Brightest Diamond called Bring Me The Workhorse. From that show to this record your sound has become somewhat less ethereal and your song structure seems more focused. What caused that evolution?

Shara: That's interesting that you say that. Someone just wrote to me about how they felt that when the song 'Dragonfly' first started it was more ethereal and ambient. I think a lot of that has to do with the choices I made for Bring Me The Workhorse arrangement wise. I was trying to a. make a cohesive work and b. not be too noodly. Something that was not precious. I think that I am writing songs that still have that eccentric and ethereal quality to them, but there is a different format for those songs.

The next record, A Thousand Shark's Teeth, will be a string album and more ethereal, less rock. That's a distinction I had to make because I basically had two records. I was trying to make them work together, but they just didn't like each other. So I thought: This is me trying to cram in too many ideas for one album. Let me just make something cohesive and separate these two records.

Read the full interview here.