The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.
We headed over to K-Rino's album release party Sunday night and, lo and behold, Icey Hott from Street Military made a surprise guest appearance.
Even though we had no idea what he looked like (the only picture we'd ever seen of him was from the cover of Don't Give A Damn, where his face is hidden by shadows), as soon as we heard his name announced by the DJ we sprung up to find him. We asked the DJ to point him out and he literally said, "I don't know where he went. He's wearing a shirt and jeans." Oh, so he's pretty much everyone in here, we thought. Whatev. We eventually found him and chatted him up proper.
This Week's Rapper: IceyHott
This Week's Subject(s): What if DJ Screw were alive today?
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.
Photos by Marco Torres
Note: Due to a scheduling snafu, the follow-up to last week's Ageism in Hip-Hop discussion with Rob Quest had to be postponed until next week. Robin Thicke was in town Monday night at Citizen Lounge promoting forthcoming album Sex Therapy, so we went and spoke to him instead.
Double Note: Robin Thicke is just about the dreamiest. Halfway through the interview, we stopped paying attention and just started trying to mentally persuade him to give us butterfly kisses. Thug thizzle.
This Week's International R&B Sensation: Robin Thicke
This Week's Subject(s): His crappy life; growing up under Alan Thicke's wing; artists who still refer to themselves mononymously.
Ask An International R&B Sensation: The obvious starting point: Your life seems like it's really, really sucky. You're rich, famous, handsome, talented. God, that must be just about awful.
Robin Thicke: [laughs] That's not really a question.
AAIRBS: Hmm... dang it.
RT: [laughs] No, I just thank God for everything that I have and try and do my part.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.
Note: This edition will be a two-parter. We're discussing ageism in hip-hop, so it seemed appropriate to get the perspective of both the hungry up-and-comer and the cagey veteran. Playing the role of hungry up-and-comer will be the stellar Fat Tony. Make sure to tune in next week to hear from none other than the legendary Rob Quest of Coughee Brothaz.
MEDIA RIOT
This Week's Rapper: Fat Tony
This Week's Subject(s): Ageism in hip-hop
Ask A Rapper: So from where you're sitting, as the young dude with the world at his feet, where do you stand on the ageism in hip-hop debate? There seems a pretty inarguable bias against the old heads.
Fat Tony: I think with music, it's like with music you can be whatever age, right? You can be old as fuck, young as fuck, and that's cool. But if you're in your teens or early twenties and you want to get your rap career started, that's the perfect age.
If you're in your thirties or forties and you're just now getting your rap career started, you need to just go on and go to sleep. Even if you've been doing it for a while, hip-hop is just so word-heavy and so topic-heavy that you just start to fade out. You can only talk about the same things for so long.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.
Note: Normally this space is a semi-tongue-in-cheek back-and-forth with a rapper about some aspect of the rapper lifestyle. However, last Sunday, Christian rapper Juan "Enock" James passed away from what appears to be a heart attack. We reached out to Much Luvv label honcho Tre9, with whom Enock lived prior to getting married, to talk about it.
This Week's Rapper: Tre9
This Week's Subject(s): The sudden death of fellow Christian rapper, Juan "Enock" James.
Ask A Rapper: So we had the news passed on to us recently about Enock. That's terrible. Do you mind speaking to the details of that situation?
Tre9: He had a heart attack on the job and, the memorial was [yesterday] and we're having a benefit concert for him [today]. He was only 35. He's leaving behind a four-year-old daughter, Jana, and his wife, Natalie.
AAR: Geez. That's awful. Were there any previous medical conditions?
T: He had high blood pressure, he was taking pills for high blood pressure. But there wasn't anything else that I know of. He was only 35; nobody saw this coming. It was a shock to everyone.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.This Week's Rapper: Bilingual Latina femmestress Karina Nistal
This Week's Subject(s): Rappers switching genres; Rappers getting that money.
Sadia Zubair
Ask A Rapper: Okay, we might be off base, but it certainly seems like your music - which before used to have an undeniable hip-hop core - has taken on an almost housey, New Wave feel. Kanye switched it up on 808s and Heartbreak. Lil' Wayne made that rock album that no one will ever hear. Jay-Z heavily sampled Alphaville's "Forever Young" on Blueprint 3. Is that what's going on with you? Are you in the "I've Gone As Far As I Can Go With Hip-Hop" phase of your career?
Karina: I've always had some house roots and soulful roots. I actually feel like I'm getting more into hip-hop. I'm taking another route with it; still keeping my Latin roots and taking a hip-hop soul kind of route. Soulful is where I always wanted to be.
Karina Nistal, "Beautiful"
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.
This Week's Rapper: cARTer
This Week's Subject(s): Houston's next to blow up; do rappers ever make a bad song; what's good vs. what's popular.
Ask A Rapper: So you're from the new, new school of Houston rappers. Geto Boys and UGK were the originals; Slim, Paul, Mike, Flip, Cham, etc were round two. Do you think anybody from Houston is ever really going to break big again?
cARTer: Yes. I feel I'm the next new artist to have major crossover success that could "break big" coming out of the Houston music scene (even though I'm based out of LA, not to sound cliché). With my experience and cultural background, I have created a project that best represents me, where I'm from and where I am now. In my own way, [I'm] evolving the Houston sound and making something based from that of my own with a twist of my L.A. lifestyle.
Carter, "Stay Down Forever"
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.This Week's Rapper: Troublesum
This Week's Subject(s): Do rappers really think it's fun for concert goers when performers just stand around on stage with a bunch of people gathered around them?
Troublesum, "SWAG"Ask A Rapper: We assume you're tired of being asked about being a female in a male-dominated genre and blah, blah, blah, so we'll touch on something else we've received emails about: live performances.
What's up with those? We mean, a large percentage of the rap shows that we've been to consist of the rapper simply standing there and reciting his or her rhymes. Sometimes there's a group of people standing around in the background, sometimes there's not. Do you all really think that's enjoyable for fans?
Troublesum: Yes and no. Some [artists] have a following that supports them being on stage with an entourage or them being up there solo. That's them in their element, so if it works for them, why switch it up, dig me? However, I'm a performer as well as an artist so I like to give my audience a show, something that they'll leave talking about.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.This Week's Rapper: Summertime Johnny
This Week's Subject(s): Lil Boosie's brush with the law; the credibility of a prison hitch; gangster rap and real gangsters
Ask A Rapper: Last week Lil' Boosie got sentenced to two years for fooling around with guns and drugs and whatnot. Why does stuff like that consistently happen? Like, obviously this doesn't apply to all rappers, but it seems like more than any other genre, people involved in the rap industry get caught up in things like that.
Summertime Johnny: It's an interesting story to read about and watch. Money doesn't fix all your problems, though, and apparently doesn't grant you intelligence. I imagine these things keep happening because there's nobody around them to tell them to chill out with that kind of stuff.
Why didn't he just pay somebody he knows to "handle his lightweight," like we say from where I'm from. I mean, and why is it always a rapper in the news? Of course rappers are the ones all over the media. [sarcastically] It's obvious rappers are becoming extinct and they have to carry a gun to ensure their survival.
A lot of these rappers have identity issues. I mean, they make all this money so they can be in a better position, but then bring drama on theirselves. I figure the only reason these rappers keep on getting these criminal records once they "make it" is simply because they don't know how to use their fame to make money; they got the game all backwards.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email introducingliston@gmail.com.
This Week's Rapper(s): Guerilla Foco Clan
This Week's Subject: White Rappers
Guerilla Foco Clan, "Around In Two Weeks"AAR: Do you all find it easier to earn respect as white rappers because it's not that uncommon anymore? Or is it more difficult because, since there are so many more white rappers, there are also so many more sucky white rappers?
Guerilla Foco Clan: As white rappers, we are automatically judged from the second we mention that fact to someone to the second that they press stop on our CD. But honestly, once the music starts playing it's all about whether or not our shit is hot or not. If the music is good, then what does it matter? I don't think it makes it any more or less difficult; if your music sucks then that's that.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.This Week's Rapper: Lil' Flip
This Week's Subject(s): Liberace; whether or not grills are rotated in and out like tires; the importance of a rapper's jewelry.
Ask a Rapper: You've got a ton of nicknames, but one in particular sticks out: when you go by Flipperace. Is there some type of story behind that because Liberace doesn't seem like somebody a lot of rappers would tie themselves to, what with the whole "everybody thinking he was gay" thing.
Flip: When I did the Flipperace, [laughs] I was really being funny. That's why I spell it like Versace spell his name. Back when I was in high school all I used to wear was Versace and Armani so I really was playing off Versace's name. He had a lot of diamonds too, but, yeah, I used to wear Versace all the time. That was my thing in high school and middle school.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.This Week's Rapper: Scooby of G.R.I.T. Boys
This Week's Subject(s): Rap groups as pornos; selling out group members; the three best rap groups from Houston.
Ask a Rapper: Being a member of a trio, do you think it more or less difficult than breaking big? We mean, with regards to a rap group, there seems to be some kind of unspoken relationship between how many dudes are involved and how well it is received. It's kind of like a porno, we suppose.
Scooby: Firstt of all, [laughs] I don't make pornos with other grown men. Like Pimp C said about him and Bun, "Me and this man ain't no freaks! We ain't neva ran no trains togetha!" [laughs] I think that's how he said it.
Anyway, being in a group is a something you have to build on. Like, I don't understand how Diddy just can throw strangers together and think it's gonna work out? We been cool for ten years, ya know. So we kinda know when one of us is not feelin' something and we just talk it out. Me and my group good we brothers, ya dig. Some groups just go with the flow 'cause they depend on one person. We all got talent.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.
Larami Culbertson
Note: We'd just like to mention that in the scant two-month history of the Ask A Rapper column, we've brought questions to two Grammy winners. You know, it's nothing really, but we're just throwing that out there. Thanks.
This Week's Rapper: T-Pain, in town for the Heineken Red Star Soul tourThis Week's Subject(s): Does Auto-Tune equal a Grammy; the non-machineness of Auto-Tune; how Jay-Z wasn't really taking a dig at him with "Death of Auto-Tune."
We always write our interview questions down beforehand. It just helps everything run that much smoother. When we took it out, T-Pain playfully leaned forward to see what we were going to ask. That's where we'll jump in.
Ask A Rapper: Hey, hey, whoa. You can't look at the questions before we ask them. That takes all of the suspense out of it.
T-Pain: [laughs]
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.
This Week's Rapper: Brew of Lower Life Form/Dark Sunz
Brew, "EZ on Urself"This Week's Subject(s): Rappers and the hustler lifestyle; how hip-hop is like Michael Jackson's face; the ironic "hater conundrum."
Ask A Rapper: Why do you think it is that rappers seem to embrace the hustler lifestyle more than most other musicians? Are they just that intertwined that you can't get away from it?
Brew: In my opinion, it's almost like we have to do it. We're our own sellers as far as our art and our creativity is concerned. We have to hustle to sell it. The only way we're going to make the people believe what were trying to present them is to blow it up.
But musically, everybody is a hustler. We're all hustling to get people to buy into what we're giving. The only real difference is that rappers talk about it a lot more. [laughs] Every rapper has at least one song about hustling. We just expose it a lot more than rock. But as far as music, we're all hustlers in our [own] right.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email introducingliston@gmail.com.
This Week's Rapper: Chamillionaire
This Week's Subject(s): The currency rate of a Chamillion; Houston artists aiming for fans outside of Houston; the age-old question: did he ghostwrite for Paul Wall on Get Ya Mind Correct?
Ask a Rapper: Okay, so this first question is just sort of something we've wondered for a while now: Exactly how many zeros are in a Chamillion? Is that, like, the same as a normal million or is it better?
Chamillionaire: It's a little bit more, man [laughs]. Two zeros more than the average million.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email introducingliston@gmail.com.This Week's Rapper: G.T. Garza
This Week's Subjects: Hispanic rappers being too Hispanic; the mindset of a battle rapper.
Ask a Rapper: As a Hispanic rapper, do you feel any pressure to be more like your contemporaries and sort of shy away from your Mexican-ness? We mean, we've heard the majority of your catalog and we don't think we've heard one single accordion. And that's, like, the instrument for us.
G.T. Garza: [laughs] To me, I know everyone sees me as a Latin rapper - and that's fine, I love being Latin - but I want people to understand I don't wanna be a good Latin rapper, I wanna be a good rapper, period. I base all my music on stuff I've been through or I know the next person could go through.
It doesn't have a color barrier in my eyes. I make music for everyone to enjoy it. I feel more pressure in releasing new songs than anything else. I just want people to feel me and where I'm comin' from.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.
This Week's Rapper: Yung Chill
This Week's Subjects: Rappers' sensitivity levels; who's more important: producer or rapper; the big-name feature quandary.
MP3: Surreall, "Somebody Call NASA" (produced by Yung Chill)Ask a Rapper: You've worked with some of the bigger names out there - Snoop and Bun and so on. Seriously, how sensitive are rappers to criticism?
Yung Chill: It varies on the artist. Sometimes you gotta kinda feel 'em out beforehand before you try to tell 'em anything. Some artists let me come right in and give my criticism. But certain artists you gotta just feel 'em out let 'em do their thing. Just really depends on who it is.
AAR: Okay, so you're probably going to duck if we ask who were some of the most sensitive to work with?
YC: [laughs]
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.
This Week's Rapper: Soulbrotha
Listen to "Life Is Crazy"This Week's Subjects: The "Christian rapper" oxymoron; Bushwick Bill's conversion to the gospel; how much it would cost to sell out the Lord.
Ask a Rapper: Given the general rapper stereotypes, doesn't "Christian rapper" seem a bit like an oxymoron? I mean, how does one make it rain for the Lord?
Soulbrotha: One, [you] can't make it rain for the Lord; that would be an oxymoron. Two, if we are to consider rapping as an artform as a profession, then no, being a Christian rapper is not an oxymoron. If so then why does the word 'Gangsta rapper' or 'Conscious rapper' exist?
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.
Note: This space is (unofficially) reserved for Southern, and especially Houston, MCs. However, several weeks ago we stumbled across St. Louis wordsmith Gotta Be Karim. He reminded us a lot of Freeway minus the horrible beard and ill-fitting hats, so we downloaded his album 10,000 Apples. It was very good. Then we heard he moved to Atlanta, so we reached out. He obliged. You're all caught up.
This Week's Rapper:Gotta Be KarimThis Week's Subjects: The unspoken battle between rappers of different genres; Durrough's apparent obscurity; Soulja Boy as a sign of our declining social mores
AAR: You've got a whole big push of these new-age rappers out there and, historically, rappers are very territorial. Is there an unspoken battle between the sort of conscious rappers and hipster rappers and gangster rappers? You'll occasionally hear a jab or two, but nobody is really saying anything too direct.
Gotta Be Karim: I wouldn't necessarily call it a battle - I don't hear the hipsters talking back. But at the same time, it's more about being authentic to yourself. I'm not gonna walk around in skinny jeans because that's not me. I need to breathe a little bit. But I wouldn't say it explicitly either. If the Cool Kids ask me to do a song I'll be like, "Hell yeah, I'm-a do it."
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.This Week's Rapper:Stunta da CrookThis Week's Subjects: "Keepin' it 100," How much to sell out Houston?, etc.
Ask a Rapper: What exactly does it mean when rappers say they "keep it 100"? It's something we hear rappers say a lot. Paul Wall even has a song titled just that. What's the word?
Stunta: When I say I'm bein' 100 I'm basically sayin' I'm being 100 percent authentic, 100 percent true to myself and to anybody else. So to say "keep it 100" means "don't fake the funk and be you."
AAR: So does that mean that pie charts are rappers' favorite charts? That's the type of chart people use when they want to express percentages, you know.
S: [laughs] I wouldn't go that far to say that about the pie charts. You either 100 percent or nothing. No need for the charts.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email introducingliston@gmail.com.
"Split you into quintuplets and then murder all five of you."
This Week's Rapper:K-RinoThis Week's Subject(s): What percent of rappers are really drug dealers and/or murdering sociopaths; does it affect a rappers' opinion of other rappers who lie; is there a crime so heinous that it will actually undermine a rapper's credbility?
Rocks Off: A lot of rappers brag about being drug dealers or murderers. If you had to put a percentage to it, what number would you say actually have done that stuff?
K-Rino: It's definitely gonna be under 10 percent.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email introducingliston@gmail.com.This Week's Rapper:Devin The Dude
This Week's Subject(s): Rappers and fellatio; are enotourages free?; the enduring appeal of ScarfaceAsk a Rapper: Rappers make it seem like they could get a BJ while boo-booin'; in fact, you said that exact thing on "Hope I Don't Get Sick A Dis." So what's the word?
Devin The Dude: Some girls just get really excited when it comes to specific rappers, R&B singers, musicians, even well-known poets can get them to blow it. While performing on stage there's a certain energy that everyone's a part of. The women are screaming madly and almost seem to be a bit moist.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email introducingliston@gmail.com.This Week's Rapper:Yung Redd of Swishahouse
This Week's Subject(s): Inappropriate restaurants to eat in if you're a rapper; would Z-Ro lose credibility if he liked to macramé; whether or not Swishahouse and Rap-A-Lot hate each other
Ask a Rapper: You hear rappers posturing all the time about this or about that; look at all my cars, I only hang out in strip clubs, I'm real, etc. With that in mind, are there places where it's not okay for a rapper to go?
Yung Redd: I mean, I'll pull up to McDonald's and chill. I'm cool with that. I'm a regular guy. Sometimes people think [rappers] can only be seen doing the best things or they get it twisted; ain't nobody above nobody else.
The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to introducingliston@gmail.com.
This Week's Rapper: Savvi, de facto leader of the hip-hop supergroup Hueston Independent Spit District (H.I.S.D.).
This Week's Subject: Whether or not rappers celebrate Tupac's birthday (June 16) the same way Christians celebrate Christ's.
Ask A Rapper: Let's jump right into it because we assume this is pertinent: How are you celebrating the birth of Tupac, rap's apparent Lord and savior?
Savvi: Well... honestly... it's really more so just reflecting on his influence. I won't be playing any of his songs or anything [laughs]. But he was one of the most influential rappers of all time.
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