Category Archives: Behind the Mic

Behind the Mic: Johnny Bianco

Posted on by — 7 Comments ↓

I first met Johnny Bianco back in 2006, we were introduced by Pittsburgh super producer Nesia Beatz. After watching Johnny on social networks I realized it was time to see what he’s been up to in the last 6 years…

K-Mo: Thanks for taking the time to catch up. You’re currently operating under the name “Militia Music Entertainment”. What does that mean and how did it start? 

Johnny Bianco: Well to understand what Militia Music is let’s start off with the definition of militia. A militia is a group of civilians supporting common goals usually in the form of an uprising rebellion. I started my (Bianco) Militia a little over a year ago it was a Facebook group where all my friends ,family, fellow artists and businesses could gather to support not just my music but also one another’s own personal endeavors. In late May of this year one of my life long friends Ken Moore was struck by a truck while riding his ATV and suffered from severe brain trauma among other injuries so i decided to put together a benefit concert in his name to help him with his finances during his recovery! I rallied support from local businesses and artists from all genres when it was all said and done there were over 20+ 0f Western Pa’s humblest performers who all agreed to not only donate their time and talents but also a small contribution to support my wounded friend . It was nice to see every ones camaraderie for another human who at the time was unknown by majority of acts! After all was said and done the show raised $2000 to help assist him! After such a great turnout of not only performers but also patrons I decide to do my best to return the favor to the artists involved by starting a group on Facebook called Militia Music which we all could post opportunities for shows as an outlet for those who helped out my friend it grew from there! Militia Music Entertainment was founded to help offer artist and business alike an affordable and professional chance to get exposure by uniting their fan bases and customers in a unique networking family as well as concert series.

K-Mo: Your most recent mix tape is called Jelly of the Month. Is that a play on jam, which is another name for a song? Tell us about it

Johnny Bianco: The concept of The Jelly of the Month is derived from Chevy Chase’s movie National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. For those who aren’t familiar i suggest you watch the movie its one of the funniest Christmas movies in my book! In this late 80′s film Chevy Chase aka Clark W. Griswald is suffering from the woes and turmoil of having a family Christmas at his house when all he really wants is what he has been waiting the entire movie for his yearly Christmas bonus check so he can put a swimming pool in his backyard. Unfortunately due to his cheap penny pinching boss he hasn’t received it because bonuses had been cut out of the company’s budget. Instead he receives a Jelly of the Month membership which entitles him to one jam a month. Me being a lyricist i used the title Jelly of the Month to metaphorically describe my musical journey because i feel i work hard just to keep getting the Jelly membership instead of my bonus check for my efforts invested. i also used Jelly of the Month because it was originally only going to be 1 jam for each month of the year also playing of the word jam so you were right as well because its sort of a double metaphor in a sense.

K-Mo: That’s unique, I like it. Who is your favorite Pittsburgh producer/studio to work with and why?

Johnny Bianco: My favorite Producer to work with currently is Mike McCue of Swirley Eye Productions. He has been the Producer/Engineer responsible for the majority of the music of mine you hear. Not only does he make most of my beats but he is also a great engineer. If it wasn’t for Swirley (Mike)  there may not have been a Johnny Bianco. I recorded my first 10 jams at his studio as well as spent countless hours shadowing him during editing as well as offering insight to him during the building of quite a few of my beats so that we could both get what we wanted out of our music. He never had a problem with me not only progress under his wing as an artist but also as a Producer/Engineer. He helped teach me how to use a few different recording software and beat programs as well as purchase the proper equipment so that i could start to venture on my own when we where unable to link up. Now i have the ability and know how to not only build beats and record myself but do a damn good job at it! So my favorite Studios are Mikes Swirley Eye Productions and my very own I’m Right Here Productions.

K-Mo: Where do you see Militia Music in 5 years?

Johnny Bianco: Our vision for Militia Music Entertainment is to achieve the ability to be a leading force in Hip Hop Promotions not only in Pennsylvania but hopefully nationally and then worldwide.

K-Mo: What is the next project you’re working on and when does it drop?

Johnny Bianco: The next personal project i will be working on will be titled I’m Right Here Productions Presents Jelly of the Month Volume 2 Militia Jelly. This album will showcase not just my talents but also the talents of Pittsburgh’s Elite Artists as well as a few other national collaborations. This will be a double disc format with a special 2nd disc with details i cant release at this current time. As far s a release date i am aiming for spring 2013 at the latest so make sure to keep an eye and ear out for that! As far as a business project i have recently opened my Studio I’m Right Here Productions to the public to cater to the abundance of local artists recording needs. We offer an affordable studio with professional quality to the masses!

K-Mo: What is the best advice you’ve received about  being a local independent artist?

Johnny Bianco: Its funny you ask because i was actually told this from our fellow friend Nesia Beatz. He said If you want to rap it takes more than just writing a verse and a hook it takes every ounce of your heart and soul! If you don’t give it everything then you can never truly reach your full potential! its going to take relentless perseverance dedication and professionalism as well as commitment. looking back now he was so right and i am forever grateful for those words of wisdom! Thanks Nesia!

Pages: 1 2

Behind the Mic: Jitta On The Track

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

It’s not everyday that an artist from Connecticut gets invited to tour with some of hip hop’s heavyweights.  But that’s exactly what happened to Jitta On The Track when he won the OurStage contest, awarding him the opportunity to open for the likes of Drake, J. Cole, Meek Mill, Waka Flocka and more.  And that, understandably, can keep an artist pretty busy.  RPHH’s Rami Bensasi was lucky enough to catch up with Jitta in the minutes following his D.C. performance.

RPHH: I guess we’ll answer the question that everyone wants to know: What’s it like touring with some of the biggest names in today’s hip hop?

JOTT: It’s awesome!  It’s a great opportunity to see how these people interact with each other, how they go about their business every single day during tour life and even just performance-wise.  I like to sit down and just study every single thing that they do.  From Waka all the way to Drake to J. Cole, everybody has a different type of performance, so it’s just good to see what get’s the crowd going and what doesn’t.

RPHH: The guys on the tour (Drake, J. Cole, Meek Mill, 2Chainz, Wocka Flocka, etc.) all bring some very different styles of music to the table, why are they able to mesh well together during a live show?

JOTT: I mean, they’re all dominating the charts right now so I think that’s one thing they have going for them, they have the radio crowd.  And plus it gives an opportunity—everybody on this tour—their whole goal for this tour is to steal each other’s fans.  I mean they’re all boys with each other, but a couple say for example, ‘We’re here to take Meek Mill’s fans, or Waka’s fans, or whoever, and make them our fans too.’  I think a lot of the fans go into [the show] with open ears.

RPHH: You’ve been living the tour bus life, seeing things behind the scenes so-to-speak… is there anything that surprised you about any of it?

JOTT: It’s actually… It’s a lot of work!  It’s not just sitting back and doing this and that.  You got to get up, go to the next city, do this, and balance that out between making music.  We just set up a studio on the tour bus last night, finally.  So we’ve been kind of, like, pissed off that we can’t make this music.  All we can do is write and promote and things like that, when we want to do everything [musically] and keep it all on our ‘A’ game.

RPHH: Speaking of your music, you won the OurStage contest to be the artist that opens up for this “Club Paradise” tour.  What would you say separated your music from the thousands of other hopefuls to make it to where you are?

JOTT: Well, what we did was we put the most different song we had out, which is the new track we did, “Lumberjack,” which is coming off of my new mixtape called Alphabet Soup.  [“Lumberjack”] had like a guitar vibe to it.  Plus on top of that we studied the website and we noticed that they do a lot more country and rock competitions than they do rap, so the judges are used to judging that kind of stuff, so we kept the alternative rock kind of vibe with the “Lumberjack” song and mixed it with a little bit of hip hop.  We took advantage of the situation before we actually submitted a song.

RPHH: Wow, man, you guys did your research!

JOTT: Yeah, well you have to… that’s how stuff gets done!

RPHH: I just checked out Be Right Back … really enjoyed it… what was your proudest moment in creating that tape?

JOTT: Thank you, thank you.  My proudest moment on Be Right Back is when we finished it.  I mean, we started that mixtape from scratch.  We got a couple producers together and started from scratch and when we finally put it out, I liked the reaction.  We put it out in September and the day that we put it out, I had a show with Mac Miller, and everybody showed love at the show… went hard and downloaded it and just boosted it up.  And then as more people caught on—it kind of caught on slowly at first—but right now it’s doing good and it’s probably my favorite project we put out to-date.  But the music that we’re doing right now blows that away!  I mean, I can’t even listen to [Be Right Back] anymore.

RPHH: That’s exciting; it’s always great to see an artist progress in their music.  It’s clear from that tape that you have a sense of humor.

JOTT: Yeah, we’ve always had a sense of humor.  I’m not a serious guy at all!  I think we joke around too much, actually! [laughs]

RPHH: How has that sense of humor helped you to stay grounded as an artist?

JOTT: I just keep the same personality.  We don’t try to act any differently.  We do take serious roles but at the end of the day, we have humor in our personalities and that’s what makes people like you.  Like, for instance, [Waka] Flocka showed us the most love on the tour so far.  He just jumps in and out of our tour bus all the time and just fucks with us, and we fuck with him, and just throw jokes and this and that.  And it just opens up more people and that’s what we’re trying to do.  When we do our shows, we have anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 people there because we’re the openers; we always go on at 6:35, that’s how we have to perform.   And, by the time I get off, French [Montana] goes on right after me and he has the same amount of people so, I mean, we try to take the fans and make sure they remember who we are on the stage, but when we get off the stage we can’t just sit around so we just network with all the other artists there.

RPHH: And you’re not signed to a major label yet, right?

JOTT: Nope, we’re just… just doing us!

RPHH: One of the big debates in hip hop, and I’m sure you’re aware of it, is label-influenced or label-controlled music.  As you continue to build your buzz, what’s your stance on signing to a major label as far as musical integrity goes?

JOTT: Well, what I want to do is—a lot of rappers don’t like the label thing and they get, like, there are ones that do successful without the labels, you know the Mac Miller’s and this and that, but I want to move past that level.  We are looking at some major labels and we are looking at big, big, big management that we ran into and we’ve been having meetings with them for like the past three months but, I mean, I’m going to go with the labels for right now.  We’re not getting that bad of deals so… as long as it’ll be beneficial.

RPHH: It seems today like an artist is dismissed as “selling out” to the mainstream the minute they drop an album on a label, regardless of the quality of the music.  Are you worried about some of your fans thinking that?

JOTT: Not at all because one thing that we’ve always done is have versatility.  We do real hip hop and for our real hip hop, hip hop heads really fuck with it.  And my DJ is a fucking house DJ, so I’ll do stuff for the house heads and throw it in the clubs and this and that, and we just make sure we hit every single base of fans so when I do put out a song, they can’t be like, ‘Yo what the fuck?  I thought you were going to do this and that?’  You know?  Because my next single is going to be completely different from that.

RPHH: As the “Club Paradise” tour concludes, what are you taking away from it that you’ll carry further into your career, whether it be with your live show or how you go about creating music, or something else… learned any lessons?

JOTT: The best thing that I’ve learned about the “Club Paradise” tour is every single opportunity that you have, take it.  If you have the opportunity to talk to somebody and show them your music, do it.  If you have the opportunity to practice for a show, do it.  Every little, tiny second that gets wasted on the tour is ridiculous because this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.  So we don’t want to waste anything, not one second.

RPHH: What’s next for you?

JOTT: What’s next is The Alphabet Soup that I’m going to drop.  I don’t know when it’s going to drop but it will be sometime soon, either beginning of summer or before summer.  And those tracks are all original, the mixtape, I got a new engineer so the sound quality is amazing, the beats are amazing.  Everything is different and it’s a good vibe.

RPHH: Can you give some advice for other up-and-comers who want to one day rock shows in front of thousands like you’ve been doing?

JOTT: Build a team, that’s all I can say.  I got a manager, I got people for promotions, I got people to do my artwork.  And make sure they’re all your boys.  And if your boys aren’t good at doing graphic design or whatnot, just have everybody learn in a group.  Put all your talents and everything together and then push it out, so you’re safe.  Start where you’re safe, that’s your roots.  Then move your way up.

 

Alphabet Soup coming soon.  Follow Jitta at @JittaOnTheTrack.

Download Jitta’s current mixtape, Be Right Back.

 

 

Behind the Mic: Dos Noun

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

As Pittsburgh MC’s BZE and Dos Noun have recently joined forces to form the rap duo TIMECAPSOUL, we wanted to revisit some of one half of the groups early experiences that have contributed to his development and current recognition as one of the world’s top freestyle MC’s.

Rory Webb: Tell us about your introduction to the freestyle battle.

Dos Noun: The first rap show that I ever went to was a battle that I participated in, when I was 15-16 years old. I lost to [Ron] Noodles in the first round. That was my first rap battle, first freestyle, first time I ever held the mic in front of a crowd. It was definitely some Karate Kid shit. [laughs] Justin Strong threw the battle, this is when he was an undergrad at Pitt. He had a house in South Oakland with a big backyard and they would throw shows. I remember Brick put us down, and Selecta was there, dude, everybody was there.

It was the most fucked up situation, because me and Ambush from the Deadly Scribes practiced in utter seclusion for like a month. We would sit in our attics and fuckin’ practice for this battle, not knowing it was a freestyle battle. We had no concept of what the fuck we were getting into. We got absolutely beasted. [laughs] And we went back to the drawing board.

RW: This was around ’97-’98, as a crew of white MC’s, how did much of the hip-hop scene receive you guys?

DN: It was a rocky road. This was right as Eminem was reaching some type of prominence. Like, when we were putting this shit together, Masai used to tell a story of Eminem hanging around random offices trying to get people to put out his 12” or hanging out at Rawshack when he went to New York. There was very little acceptance of white people rapping, especially in Pittsburgh. But that’s what got us good, because we had to battle pretty much every other rapper in Allderdice.

I remember there was this Allderdice talent show that we signed up for. And when I went there it
was very neighborhood oriented, a lot of beef. So, at this talent show it was us, and then a bunch of dudes from East Hills, a bunch of dudes from Penn Hills, dudes from Homewood, and full scale from Wilkinsburg. Our families came, the principles were all there, and then like seven or eight hoods showed up.

RW: How’d you guys do?

DN: We were rocking over the Skeme Team, “Con Artists”, instrumental. And a little known fact, we had this black female MC in our crew, the Lady Lioness. She spit an acapella and heads went nuts. She had a good delivery and was much more polished than we were. Then, the beat drops… and fuckin’ Tim, whose very white… people used to call him Howdy Doody… He comes sauntering out there, in an Ecko outfit or something, with a towel over his head… and as soon as the beat drops he pulls the towel off and picks his head up, and it’s just immediate boo’s. [laughs]

The night culminated into a fuckin’ riot. There were like forty cop cars and every’s beating each other up. I remember this girl from Hazelwood smacked our Vice Principal and he was bleeding ‘n shit. And that was, like, our second show. [laughs]

It was a brutal learning curve. It was only after I beat Noodles in a battle like a year later that things started coming together for us. That was a really good event for us. But even after that, it wasn’t off to the races… cause you still had very polished MC’s like Stretch and Noodles, while we were still raw around the edges. We were like square pegs in a round hole. We really had to smooth it out. [laughs]

RW: Sounds like much of what you learned came from challenging the best.

DN: I never would’ve been a good freestyler unless I learned how it worked by getting beat by
Noodles my first time. If I had this easy thing where I was battling Squirrel Hill kids at house parties or something, I probably never would’ve become as good as I am now. It was like I got tossed off a cliff and had to fly.

https://www.facebook.com/dosnoun


Behind The Mic: Chyron

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

So last year, I judged The University Of Pittsburgh’s MC Battle.  You can should read about it here.

Anyway – last year, there was a brother by the name of Chyron.  He definitely had the most poised set, but I didn’t select him as the winner, yet I felt he possessed the most promise.  Fast forward to this year.  Again I was asked to judge the WPTS battle and I wasn’t totally disappointed.  The MCs were a little more polished, the crowd was a little more lively even with some familiar faces and names in the line up, it seemed like a different battle.

That was until Chyron took the stage.  I have been keeping tabs on the young DC wordsmith/ vocalist since our previous encounter, so I hoped to be in for a treat.  Now, for some reason people tend to think I have a problem remaining objective in my opinions of other artists.  Quite the contrary.  I was going to judge Chryon on a harsher scale because the brother has built up quite a buzz for himself.  Not to be swayed I paid painfully close attention to every aspect of his show.

The very moment he took the stage, Nordy’s became electric.  The saying is cliche`, but you could literally feel the atmosphere become charged as the man born Kobbie Turkson proceeded to tear down the set, rafters and shitty sound system in the student union.  Girls are screaming, dudes are going nuts, people are actually reciting his lyrics, not the hooks, but the lyrics to his songs!  And with catchy, smooth and insightful tunes like, “My Thing”, “Born To Be Better”, and “IDK”, who could blame em.

I’ma legit fan of this dude, he gotta good vibe personally and musically.  He’s not reinventing the wheel in any way shape or form, however, he is showing its versatility on all terrains.

Check out my interview with the dude below.  It’s a dope listen.

Chyron will be opening for Big Sean @ Pitt on March 30.
Follow @ChyronKT


Behind The Mic: Zeke of Fab 5 Entertainment

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Devin Miles, Big Jerm and Zeke at ID Labs

Fab 5 Ent has been a household name in Pittsburgh for the past few years now.  Now I don’t know all of the guys from the crew, but I did get to chop it up with Zekiel Nicholson recently.  Zeke is a humble, soft spoken individual with an apparent knack for business, promotions and success.  Having been affiliated with the early shaping of Pittsburgh’s most stalwart figure, Mac Miller, Zeke tasted the fruit of success for self by managing Scolla (f/k/a Young Scolla) into one of the most well known up and coming names in hip hop today.  He’s also responsible for another Pittsburgh rapper creating national buzz: Devin Miles.

Check the interview below as Zeke and I talk about S.Money vs. Wiz, The MTV and Pittsburgh fiasco, directing negative energy directed at his artists and a few other tips for up and coming rappers in this city.

 

 
follow @ZekielNFab5
https://www.facebook.com/ZekielNFab5


Behind the Mic: Will Kalson

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Will Kalson has played a pivotal role in the success of Pittsburgh hip hop. He has been the Burgh’s connection to music blogs nationwide and has helped spread the word. Read on to learn more about his part in Mac Miller’s rise, tour life and  advice for up and comers.

K-Mo: You go back a few years with Pittsburgh hip hop. Can you explain how and where you got started?

Will Kalson: I started being apart of the scene around late 2007/early 2008 as the manager of The Ill Spoken, which was comprised of Beedie and Mac Miller. I was basically on my net grind for them, trying to get songs out to different websites, DJ’s, and people of importance.

The three of us had an idea to start a click of some of the best MC’s in the city that you probably hadn’t heard of yet. We came up with the name East End Empire because we’re all from the East End of PGH. Basically I recruited who I felt were some of the best MC’s around. This included Franchise, Vinny Radio, The Scholars (Ghosty and Primavera Vills), Palermo Stone, along with Mac and Beedie . We all banded together, doing tracks, dropping mixtapes, throwing shows. It wasn’t a group, more of a collective.

It actually ended up working and I feel it built up the scene a lot. It showed that there was a new generation of Hip-Hop in Pittsburgh and people respected it. We we’re all young and trying to make something happen for ourselves. Even though it doesn’t really exist anymore we’re all still cool with each other and I still work with almost everyone in some form or another.

K-Mo: Personally, I started to notice all this great talent at the formation of East End Empire. Any time they were performing, I had to get to a show which is how you and I met. So how did you get the opportunity to tour with Mac Miller?

Will: Mac has just been my boy for almost 5 years now. That’s my brother. We always had this musical connection. I just love Hip-Hop and Mac loves to make it. I would be down at the studio with him for hours just watching him make magic, still am. I’ve always had his back and he’s always had mine.

When he really started to take off I had one extra semester of college left but he hit me up asking me to come on tour and work. The decision wasn’t hard for me at all. I’ve always known that he was going to be something great and I wanted to be apart of that greatness. So I dropped out of school and we started hitting the road in my ’94 Volvo station wagon 5 deep to shows all across the East Coast, Mid-West and South. Soon
things got bigger, we moved on up from a station wagon to a Suburban, to a Mercedes Sprinter Van. I was driving and selling merch, basically helping out in anyway I could. We basically grinded it out, we were road warriors.

I would say after our first tour is when things really started to explode and it was clear that he was a star. Now we have big tour buses and big shows. Its incredible to see how far everything has come and it feels good to be a part of it. I’ve been there since the beginning so this all means a lot to me. I wouldn’t have things any other way.

K-Mo: What’s your favorite part about touring?

Will: Being able to be involved in something that I love so much. I live and breathe Hip-Hop so making a living off it isn’t too shabby. Being with my MostDope family everyday. We really are a family. Those are my brothers. And really getting to see the World. I’ve been places I thought I would never go because of Mac and Hip-Hop. It’s amazing.

K-Mo: Getting to do what you love day in and day out would be the best for me also! What music are you listening to now?

Will: That’s a hard question. I listen to everything from straight Hip-Hop to Trap shit. Right now my favorite artists outside of Pittsburgh are Future, ASAP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Waka Flocka, Main Attrakionz, Starlito, Juicy J, French Montana, Rick Ross even some Indie type music like The Internet. The list goes on and on. Basically anyone who is making something creative and exciting, I’m with it.

In the Burgh, of course Mac, The Come Up (Franchise and Vinny Radio, who I manage), Tolly (who I manage as well), B. White, Boaz, Primavera Vills, Ghosty, Beedie, Shad Black, Owey and Moola Gang. If you’re making noise in PGH I fuck with you.

K-Mo: Do you find yourself listening to independent more than mainstream hip hop?

Will: I probably do listen to more independent Hip-Hop than anything else because all of my homies that rap are independent so that makes up a large percentage of what I listen to a day to day basis. And outside of them a lot of the artists I bump are independent as well.

K-Mo: I can relate. Do you see yourself in the same role 5 years from now? If not, what is your goal?

Will: I don’t really know what the future holds for me but my goal is keep working in this industry. I’m working with The Come Up very closely right now, those are two of my best friends and we’re making moves. I have a great job working with Mac so I don’t see things changing anytime soon.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THE COME UP

K-Mo: It seems like Mac still has to hit a plateau so you’ll be busy for a while. In your travels I’m sure you’ve meet a lot of people, who was the most inspiring or left the biggest impression and why?

Will: Juicy J is by far the coolest person I’ve met in the music industry. I’m a huge Three 6 Mafia fan, I came up on them, so when I got the opportunity to meet him I was shocked but he’s so down to earth.

On our first trip to Cali to do shows he kicked it with us for 5 days straight, just chilling like one of the homies and now he is one of the homies. I can’t say enough good things about that dude.

Also 9th Wonder is family. That dude is super down to earth and very wise. I’ve learned a lot of things from him and spent a good amount of time with him. Expect some 9th Wonder beats on the next project from The Come Up.

K-Mo: Definitely looking forward to The Come Up‘s next project. What advice do you have for independent artists?

Will: Just stay on your grind. Timing is everything. You have to be patient. This shit doesn’t happen overnight. If its your time its your time. Never be jealous of the next man, just stay focused on you and your goals. I’ve watched Mac record hundreds of songs, most of them you’ll probably never hear. He stays on his grind. You gotta do the same.

K-Mo: What’s next for you?

Will: Mac’s next tour, which is called The Macadelic Tour starts March 27th at Norfolk State a long with The Cool Kids and The Come Up. The we’re basically in Europe from late May until early July. I’m very excited to get back on road and keep it pushing.

Also look out for The Come Up album coming this Spring. I’m putting a lot of time into that. It’s something that’s close to my heart, it’s gonna be special.

follow @willywhips on twitter


Behind the Mic: Smash Money

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

Interview by Rory Webb

RPHH: When did you first start rapping?

I started listening to Cold Crush… Me and my cousin… Somewhere we got a Cold Crush record from like ’83, nobody had heard it. So, we took the record and put our names in it [laughs]. We used to be in school saying the rhymes. All the time the teachers would be like, “Say that rap again!” Til once, it was like the next year we were doing it, and some dude had moved down from New York… And he wanted to battle us. So we’re doing it and he started singing along with us, like “That’s Cold Crush! That’s Cold Crush!” That’s when I was in like the 7th grade [laughs]. So I started writing my own raps… And I would just write ‘em, but I wouldn’t pay ‘em no attention. Then I got that little drum machine, the Synsonics drums. We had the little Dr. Rhythm’s ‘n stuff. I would make beats and would be saying my raps to ‘em.

RPHH: Can you share some of your early experiences recording music.

I would have my beat machine, and my mic running through my DJ mixer, then I would record, and I would take that tape and put it in my Walkman, put another tape into the recorder, play the Walkman back and do the adlibs over that. It sounded completely hissy, but you could still hear what I was doing.

Eventually, we had three or four tape decks dubbing every tape. There were no multiple tape doubles. We’d have a master tape and box of blank tapes. Every label got written by hand. We’d take them to local music shops, Stedaford’s and Dorsey’s.

I used to make a limited amount, so that I could sit back and listen to people tell me “Man, I need another one of your tapes, somebody stole my tape.” I just wanted people to steal them from each other, cause I had nothing else to do [laughs]. When people bought a new tape they’d buy multiple copies. One for the house, one for the car… knowing that somebody’s gonna steal it. Yeah, you used to have to guard that Homewood tape with your life! If you were riding with somebody that was listening to it and you had to get out of the car for something you’d take the tape out with you.

Smash Money – “Pick It Up” Music Video circa 1992

RPHH: The first song I was put onto of yours was “21” … It’s one of the best storytelling songs/concepts I’ve ever heard.

That started as a ghostwriting track for somebody else. Walt D. asked me to write him a song, he said “I wanna make a song about some young nigga hustlin’, called ‘By the Time I Turn 21’.” So, I said ok, I’ll call you back. And I called him back an hour later with the song and the track done. I said it to him… I played the beat and had the phone to my ear. I had an [Akai] S950 at the time, it didn’t even have a sequencer. So, I got the drum loop and the two sample loops. I’m hitting it, and saying the rhyme with the phone at my ear, reading off the paper. And he was like, “You know what, I’ll never say the song like that. You oughta keep that.”

“21” was released in ’92 on the Thinking and Drinking tape, which also had “40 & A Blunt” with Infinite from F3/Ruff Chemistry. “21” was later released as a single on vinyl. I was doing the white label tapes and a guy came up to me and said he wanted to get involved and try to do some things. So, we came up with a plan… And I think for him the money wasn’t coming as fast as he thought it would. So we weren’t able to see the plan completely through fruition. We did the first pressing of 2,500. I did what I could do, I got some distribution through National Record Mart. But we didn’t get a chance to do it the way we needed to do it.

RPHH: Were you actively performing at local shows?

[Laughs] We used to do shows with lots of people. And if the show started at 7 o’ clock, we’d come in at 5 for the sound check and set stuff up on stage. If you went on before me… your beat machine and your keyboard left with me. There are many people whose music careers I ended. A couple of them thanked me for it cause they went on to do some bigger and better things. One dude I bumped into down in North Carolina, he said “Yo, I wanna thank you for stealing my beat machine. Cause that made me do this.”

RPHH: [Laughs] Any particular show stories you can talk with us about?

The Strip’s Edge, when we had the big fight. We did one Strip’s Edge show that went perfect. And that’s the one that Phunk Magazine threw. Beautiful show, it was nice. So, Nick [Nice] tried to repeat it. We did another one a couple weeks later and it turned into a big fight. I was drunk, got my back broke, it was crazy. It was us, F3, umm… here goes me and my Homewood shit again, I don’t remember anybody else that was on the show but the people from Homewood [laughs]. There were like four or five people on the show, and I think F3 performed and then we were going on. And then the Garfield dudes had set it up to come at a certain time, cause I remember performing, when I was doing “21,” I see a line of people come in wearing red. And then they just start fighting. I’m rapping and everybody’s fighting. And then when they finally shut the mic off I just jumped in the crowd and started fighting too. Drunk as hell [laughs]. I was walking around just grabbing people like, “Oh, I know you, you’re cool. I don’t know you, blaow!”

RPHH: From what I’ve heard, the gang-bangin’ was something of an epidemic during this time in the early-mid ‘90s.

From the inside it wasn’t nothing cause it was the people you grew up with, they just decided to start carrying guns and shooting people. It’s like… Your cousin is still your cousin, no matter what he’s doing. He could be eating people and that’s still your cousin. You’re gonna look at him differently than the people looking at him on the news. So it wasn’t like “Oh my God, they’re killing each other.” We didn’t look at it like that. You know them when they’re playing with their kids, or arguing with their girlfriend, or crying when their mom died… you know that side. Like, I listen back to a lot of the subject content we had… And I didn’t care about too much but drinkin’, fuckin’, makin’ music, and daring somebody to give me an excuse to shoot ‘em. That’s all I cared about when I was 22 [laughs].

Smash Money – “Da 3rd Song” Music Video circa 1993

RPHH: It was around ’93-’94 that signed the deal with Lifestyles, out in L.A. How’d that come together?

We were doing a show. Sam Sneed was on the show, down at Pitt at the Studio Union. He came over and was like, “Yeah, my boy Dre… I’m trying to bring you out there as soon as I get situated.” And he introduced me to Blak Cz[er]. And Blak Cz’ was working on his album at the time. And he was like, “Listen, MTV went through the whole album and they won’t play a video for nothin’ on my album, so I need another song. I want you to do it.” He called the label, they said “Cool, we can do it.” Me and Quiv (Emmai Alaquiva) worked on it together. Quiv did the drums and I did the music on that Blak Cz’ joint, “The Hood.” And then he had B-Dub, who rapped on the song with him. So, they did the video for it and everything. I took a production deal with [Lifestyles] so that I could get in, and then break my click in. I took a corny production deal. I took an ASR-10 keyboard and $20,000. I could’ve got more, but I just took anything so that I could get in and put my people on. I turned all of L.A. out on the ASR-10, a lot of cats didn’t even know what it was.

RPHH: How did traveling and working in other cities with their artists influence your music?

When I was first getting into the music during the ‘80s, the local cats had the greatest influence, cause we hadn’t seen the mainstream people before. So, for me to start, it was Stan the Man and K-Kel, period. Stan the Man, that’s Pittsburgh’s version of Grandmaster Caz. My hip-hop world began and ended with them two. And then when I went to the service and came back, I was really just looking for their respect in what I did. The city’s top DJ and promoter, Sly Jock, had a thing called the Pittsburgh All-Stars, where he would take dudes to Ohio ‘n stuff to do shows. Every Wednesday you were able to go audition. I wanted their acceptance to get into that, cause if you weren’t in that then you were just a nobody. So those are the people that I always wanted to get recognition from. I got a pioneer award from the Pittsburgh Hip-Hop Awards this year, and Stan is the one that pushed for it for me. Which was cool, cause that was the dude that made me want to do it. So for him to recognize and respect what I was doing was big for me.

More specifically in regard to travelling, it made me know that people like other shit. Like, if you never left Homewood you would think B.G. was Jay-Z. If you spent your whole life in Homewood then you go somewhere else people don’t even know who B.G. is. And it’s just those types of things… Musically, it definitely changed my music… In D.C. they don’t even listen to the real versions of the raps, the Go-Go bands will re-do the raps with the drums and all that stuff. Being out in L.A. with their stuff, like the Hieroglyphics movement and Planet Asia… You hear a lot of that, and it just all gets incorporated.

Once I started branching out more, I started learning more about how music was put together. I would listen to everybody, to either learn how to do something or learn how not to do it. I got a lot of stuff that nobody’s heard, that people just wouldn’t  understand, like they’d think I’m Kanye West or somebody [laughs].

In 2011, Smash Money was released from a six year prison bid. He has been producing new music and is expecting to unleash new recordings in the upcoming year. Prior to serving his bid, he produced and recorded “Draw the Line (Outta Here),”which is being presented for the first time on RepPittsburghHipHop.

 

Behind The Mic: Brick

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

One of the most recognized and respected names in Pittsburgh urban culture is Brick Diggler.  The owner of the illustrious Time Bomb shop has been recognized nationally and glorified locally for longer than most people care to remember.  Brick has been affiliated with building some of the biggest names in Pittsburgh, from Wiz and Mac, to Boaz and more.  Outside of rubbing shoulders with some of the undergrounds most noteworthy, Brick has established himself as one of the foremost members of the graffiti and image aspect of Pittsburgh’s urban scene.  I was at the Time Bomb shop for a long awaited interview with the Steel City Stalwart himself.  Check it out below.

 

www.TimeBombShop.com
follow @TimeBombShop @BrickDiggler


Behind The Mic: Kid A

Posted on by — No Comments ↓

One of the most dominant lyricists in Pittsburgh has always remained some what of an enigma to those outside of his cypher.  Aarie Williams, formerly known as EMS, now known as Kid A  has for a while been one of my favourite lyricists, period.  A actually introduced Fundamental and I about five or six years ago and we later went on to form Good Company.  The always angsty Gemini, Kid A has has a slew of ups and downs since his first release, The Devil’s Advocate both personal and musical.   But now through the dust of uncertainty is back with a new look on his career and a new album ready to drop on August 16th called Blunt Guts and Glory.  Check out the build session below.


“Jesus Twice” Kid A, produced by DJ Wheelz

A-Jaxx: Kid A – The long awaited interview.  How you living?

Kid A: No one wants to hear an answer other than “great” so I’ll go with that. Ready to end several years of creative constipation, so to speak.

A-Jaxx: The first question I wanna ask is what prompted the name change from EMS to Kid A?

Kid A: At the end of the day, I will always be EMS. Everything Makes Sense is me and as much as I hate how EMS looks on paper I won’t completely detach myself from it.  I was always looking to change my name but nothing ever stood out to me, rap names have always been mad corny to me. One day I was bumping some Radiohead and put 2+2 together with their album title and my real name and it stuck. I don’t like to be lumped in with the other “Lil” and “Kid” rappers though.

A-Jaxx: From 2004-2006 the crew you were apart of, Solid Ground looked like it had things on smash in the city.  A decent sized collective with different angles and lots of shows.  What happened?

Kid A: The same things that happened to everybody else, time. People grow older, grow apart, become different people..things just happen. I was pretty immature during that entire stint so nothing I could have done at the time would have done any good really. I still keep in touch with the guys though. Of the 4 of us, only myself and Proseed are still doing music. We’ve actually been working on something recently.

A-Jaxx: Your first release, The Devils Advocate really made a name for yourself as it put a certain aspect of lyricism in to the spotlight of Pittsburgh hip hop.  Why so long in between albums?

Kid A: Making bad life decisions, among other things. I was recording myself on TDA and I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know the first thing about recording or mixing music. One thing I pride myself on is knowing when something sounds good and I’ve always been against just putting out music that isn’t listenable quality-wise.

Of the 16 or 17 songs on Blunt Guts & Glory, I’ve probably had more than half of them in the stash waiting to be recorded/released at their full capacity and not just a squeaky, metallic demo with my voice bouncing off of the walls. With such a long time away I’ve accumulated a lot of music so any fan I may have doesn’t have to worry about waiting another 6 years for anything from me, I’ve got plenty to go around this time.

A-Jaxx: Early off you got your career started as a battle rapper – I remember being mistaken for you a few times actually.  What’s your take on battling in Pittsburgh and the aspect in general?

Kid A: I don’t follow them honestly. It’s never been my thing really. I did it when I was young and had that fire to rip someone’s throat out but like a lot of things, it got old to me fast. If I was a judge for battles I’d be that judge that everyone hated.

I went to Scribble Jam in ’05 and damn near ruined the show because I booed almost every contestant. I just cant bare to listen to another guy telling someone he had sex with his mother, or that he is gay, or that he should stop rhyming because he’s white. I love a creative punchline but battling was more of a stepping stone for me to get into performing and actually making music.

A-Jaxx: One of the most well regarded yet least visible faces here in Pittsburgh.  Why exactly is that?  Would it be wrong to say that you no longer deserve the attention for an impact you made seven years ago?

Kid A: I’ve always had a lot on my plate.  People who know me personally know that I’m essentially a caretaker and on call at all times. My schedule revolves around that and if what I’m doing doesn’t line up with it perfectly, then I might lose out on it. Couple that with not living on the side of the city where most shows are booked.  I still believe I’ve made zero impact to this point so I’m totally deserving of what little attention I get.

A-Jaxx: When I put you on my list of the best MCs in the city, what were your sentiments about your placement and the list its self?

Kid A: I was just glad that my bribe went through! Haha. To be honest, I don’t really remember the list too well. I just remember it saying that I was a suspect song writer hahahaha. I can live with that though, I’m just glad to be a part of the party. Every time a show goes by and someone tells me it wasn’t what it could have been because I wasn’t involved, or when my name is in such good company(no pun intended), I feel I’ve at least done something right.

A-Jaxx: While the scene in Pittsburgh is very tight knit and most of the guys are on a personal basis, kind of like a job – do you have any one you consider an immediate rival/influence?

Kid A: Everyone is my rival and influence at the same time. I have a great amount of respect for everyone who is out there making music from their heart and also conducting themselves in a respectable manner.  Charon Don and Dos Noun are two people that come to mind. I don’t think I would be anywhere near where I am today if it wasn’t for the help I got from those two guys over the years.

I also owe my entire life to Draztyk. That guy has looked out in so many ways, he even is ill on the match-making tip. My only true rival would be myself since I’ve probably held myself back more than any one person could. Some of you out there think I dislike or hate you, but I really love you.

A-Jaxx: Blunt Guts And Glory.  What was the conceptualization and execution like?

Kid A: The title itself is clearly a take on “Blood Guts & Glory” and actually pre-dates the whole “weed rap” stigma that seems to have attached itself to Pittsburgh hip hop and really a lot of new artists today. The concept was “the beginning” or early stages in musical development. If you are going to smoke a blunt then you have to crack it and get rid of the guts first. That is what this project is for me.

I have so much music in store for the future and I wanted to show my natural progression from TDA until now so I felt it was only right that I name it that. Ideally I would have released this project somewhere in between 2007-2009 but shit happens..it’s here now.

A-Jaxx: Where does this album stand against the slew of releases from every rapper in Pittsburgh?

Kid A: I wouldn’t know, that isn’t really for me to say. Some people like to place themselves at the top of everyone’s list but I’m fine with people having their own opinion. I’m just trying to better myself and in the process make other people better. I don’t really listen to Pittsburgh hip hop very often so it’s not even me being humble. I can say that it won’t sound like whatever album was produced in an expensive studio and it also wont sound like “insert soundclick artist.”

A-Jaxx: New name, new album, do you feel like this is a re-introduction?

Kid A: Yes, it definitely is.  I don’t even remember what my last project sounds like anymore, so it’s definitely a new day and a new beginning for me.

A-Jaxx: Exactly what are you hoping the album to do for you?  You’re still young, the possibilities are limitless.

Kid A: WE.GOIN.DIAMOND!!!! Seriously though, if only one person heard it I’d be fine with that. I’m just hoping that each project I release makes the next one all that much more interesting. I can say that my project with Buscrates will sound NOTHING like it, and my project with James Moore will sound NOTHING like that, and every project beyond those will hopefully sound nothing like what came before them. I guess I really want this album to push me in the direction of making great music.

A-Jaxx: Haha, I wonder what ever happened to Bars & Hooks… Speaking of which, are we gonna see a Shindiggaz reunion?

Kid A: I think they already re-united without me. Personally, I don’t care and neither does anyone else. I AM working on some stuff with former Shindiggaz Dj Thermos though. I have to hurry and knock some of this other stuff out of the way so I can dedicate a little more focus to the songs I’ve been doing with him. It’s definitely a lot edgier than the stuff I’m about to be releasing here soon.

I don’t have any issues with any of them though. I responded to some things said about me on a track on the album but other than that it’s a dead issue. I got more love off of one project 6 years ago than I got from 4 mixtapes with that group within a year so I think I’m alright where I am now.

follow @A412Kid


Behind the Mic: Joe Boots

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

You probably don’t even realize how many shirts you’ve seen around the city of Pittsburgh or even in music videos that were either designed or printed by Joe Boots & his Boot Prints Crew! I caught up with Joe to find more about how his business came to life.

RPHH: How did you get started in the custom screen printing business?

Joe Boots: Well I first got interested in it at Carrick High School. By my senior year I was basically teaching the screen printing portion. Initially I wanted to be a screen printing teacher, so i joined the Army which would help with school. Then I went to Cal U for 2 semesters, learned they quit teaching screen printing teachers and I dropped out. A few weeks later got the letter that i was selected to go to Iraq with the 103rd engineers out of Philly. This whole time I was hand painting shirts IN Time Bomb Shop to customers, miskeen was big at the time and there was a market for this. I thought this was the way to go. When i was in Iraq I was hand painting shirts for my homeboys there with me and at home sending them back to the streets of PGH. When I got home I didnt know what I wanted to do but I had an idea. I continued hand painting shirts for our crew PRICELESS FAM. We were also a rap group and at the time were throwing very successful shows with hundreds of fans in attendance! That helped solidify my position with a few top tier hip hop scenesters in the ‘burgh. Everyone was tryin to create that “bigger” buzz they always asked about Priceless’ promo efforts. Everyone used to say “yo when can i get some tees made” and i would say ” ahh man , when i get my wheel (screenprinting machinery), its on!”

and well.. i got my wheel and it is certainly on!

RPHH:  Do you create your own designs? Where might we have seen them before?

Boots: I have created some original tees that have garnered some notoriety. Our first smash shirt was the DRINKING IRON GETTING SHITTY (front) and back YEAH HOW BURGH IS THAT (back) everyone would go crazy for these St. Patricks day tees! (keep an eye out for March’s #FirstFridayFreshness).

Another tee thats infamous now is the Big L Tribute shirt “Putchya L’s Up”. This was one of the first designs we printed after BPC opened. It was for a Big L / Big Pun / J. Dilla Tribute show with DJ Lord Finesse DITC. The Big L tribute shirt was a graphic I had had in my head for quite some time because theres just not any good Big L Tribute shirts so i knew that had to change. When we did the first run there were 20 shirts, and each of those is hand numbered. At the tribute show, Mac Miller saw me pull em outta the box to set up the merch table, he came right over and said “ahhh man i need one of those” and that was my first sale of the Big L Putchya L’s up tee. A few months later, Mac decided it would be an appropriate tee to wear for a video with a DITC beat. And the rest, as they say, is history. Big L tee available exclusively at timebombshop.com

RPHH: What inspires you in your work?

Boots: Years of hard work paying off. The end goal is in more plain view than ever before. I’m not near it .. but nearer if that makes sense. Attaining it, that is my inspiration.

RPHH: You recently quit your 9-5 in favor of this business, how hard was that decision?

Boots: Well, it was a very difficult one because I had been at my previous employer Full Time for over 5 years. I had worked my way through the ranks there and was living pretty comfortably (financially speaking) but I was so unhappy and stressed out. I was printing tee shirts and running my business and also working for someone else full time. Since they were paying me, my business tended to take a back seat all the time..the stress was starting to make me crack. One day I decided I’m not going to do this for another summer, this is the summer of JOE! and i put my 2 weeks in (it was actually a little over a month) and BOOM! here i am. Running my own business. This is not easy, life was way easier going to work collecting that paycheck, but its so much more rewarding when you bust your ass for it.. and its all yours.. The name the legacy .. everything ..and i was neglecting customers because of my obligations at my other job. That’s no way to grow as a business… plus, i can set my own hours and wear cut off shorts and tank tops every day (and i do). In the end, it was a no brainer what i had to do!

RPHH: What makes you different from others in the same field?

Boots: Technically speaking we all print tee shirts and have tattoos. Those are about the only similarities. Some are bigger companies, some are smaller … but when a customer chooses Boot Prints to work on their project, they know they are working with professionals who above all else want to satisfy their wants and needs. Also, there is very few Hip Hop Screen Printers .. or screen printers who are rooted in the hip hop scene. There are a few nationwide but its more of the rock n roll and punk rock scenes that give birth to screen printers (on average).

As I previously stated i was in the pgh hip hop scene before Mac Miller rapped for any crowd and before Wiz was anything but a work in progress. This allowed me to make connections with people and build trust showing them I am a man of my word and I will work to the bone to achieve what I said I would.

RPHH: What Pittsburgh hip hop music is currently in your rotation?

Boots: BZE, The 58s, Living Proofe, Varsity Squad, Basick Sickness, Apex, Boaz

RPHH: Who got next after Wiz and Mac?

Boots: There are quite a few ridiculously hard working emcees / groups out there in the Pittsburgh streets. and peace to all them! This is the time to shine because there is attention from other cities and the industry on the city. So keep working hard and good things will come if its meant to be that way. I would love to see some more people get on in a big way around here. Just hope that no one forgets the city that made them stand out above the rest.

RPHH: any closing words/ shout outs/ etc…

Boots: First off thank you K-Mo. I always liked what you were doing connecting people in a scene that was somewhat lost with so much to do and not one unified place to share it. So thank you thank you thank you! And for allowing me this outlet to those who may have seen alot of the BPC work but not sure how to go about getting hooked up.

Also I would like to thank the Copies @ Carson crew for showing me that a small business can be a very lucrative investment (if you dont mind hard work). Brick and KT at TimeBomb Spot for believing in me and helping to push me into the spot I’m at right now! The whole Pgh Hip Hop scene, thanks for trusting me with the production of your merchandise, it makes a group stand out if they get they’re stuff printed locally, not from some website to save a few bucks.

The whole Priceless Fam, mad support since day one. THAT’s WHAT IT IS!

And last but not least the Boot Prints Crew . We couldnt have made it this far without the help of a lot of people. Whether you reshared our info, sent business our way or brought us lunch and told us you were proud of us . That matters so much. Jewels, Dan, Matt, Billy, Stu, Uncle Arlo, Tommy, Brad, and Sarah … I couldn’t have done this on my own, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE HELP! and for believing in me.. CREW’D UP.

JOE BOOTS
BPC. TBC. PF. VK.
STREETS.

follow @BootPrintsCrew
bootprinting@gmail.com for orders

website coming soon!