BUILDING BRIDGES- My Interview w/Ludacris

BUILDING BRIDGES- LUDACRIS ON STAYING HUMBLE AND HUNGRY

By Bret Love

 

The man born Chris Bridges 30 years ago in Champaign, Illinois, initially made a name for himself as a DJ on Atlanta hip-hop radio station Hot 97.5 during the dawn of the Dirty South scene’s rise (when he was better known as DJ Chris Lova Lova). Eventually, of course, he left radio and changed his name to Ludacris, ultimately becoming one of hip-hop’s hottest MCs by signing to Def Jam South and releasing a string of hits that included #1 singles “Stand Up” and “Money Maker” and Top 10 smashes such as “Move Bitch,” “Splash Waterfalls” and “Pimpin’ All Over the World.” Though he may not be an original ATLien, Ludacris quickly established himself as one of the South’s most commercially successful rappers and in-demand guest artists.

 

But mere success as an artist wasn’t enough. Teaming up with associate Chaka Zulu, Ludacris formed his own boutique label at Def Jam, Disturbing Tha Peace, and released albums by a diverse roster of artists that included Field Mob, Playaz Circle and Bobby Valentino. After making his feature film debut in 2 Fast 2 Furious, he dedicated himself to learning the acting craft and subsequently earned standout roles in Oscar-caliber films such as Hustle & Flow and Crash. Perhaps more importantly, he started his own charity foundation, helping underprivileged kids by teaching them principles of success, sponsoring Christmas toy drives and giving away more than 500 turkey dinners over the holidays.

 

We recently spoke with the always-opinionated rapper about Atlanta’s thriving urban music scene, working with director Guy Ritchie (a.k.a. Mr. Madonna) and how he’s managed to stay relevant in the here-today-gone-tomorrow world of hip-hop for over a decade.

 

 

 

You were a DJ on Atlanta radio back in the ‘90s when the Dirty South hip-hop explosion first happened. What are some of your favorite memories of the scene during that time?

 

I just remember when Rowdy Records, So So Def and LaFace Records were all real prominent in the industry, and they were all located in Atlanta. Dallas Austin had Rowdy Records, and he was working with Monica and Kris Kross and all that; you had everybody on So So Def; then on LaFace you had upstarts like Usher, Toni Braxton and TLC; and then of course you had Goodie Mob and Outkast. To me, that’s really where it all began as far as Atlanta being considered the Motown of the South.

 

How do you think the urban music scene here today compares with places like New York City and Los Angeles?

 

Today I think it’s pretty evident that the South is the driving force of hip-hop, as far as presence and sales are concerned. I think every region has its time, and right now the South is dominant. I feel like there’s a lot of talent here, and a lot of great examples to provide motivation. That’s one of the reasons I got on my grind, because I saw so much going on here that I felt like there was no way it couldn’t happen for me with all the resources that were available to me here in the South.

 

As someone who’s been in the hip-hop game for over a decade now, how do you feel about the ways that the music and the industry have changed over the last 10 years?

 

I feel like things are always gonna change over time; you just have to adjust yourself to the changing environment of music. So basically I feel great about it, and look forward to the future. I look forward to more technology, because seeing it firsthand and experiencing change while it’s happening is one of the greatest virtues of life, in my opinion. You become your own worst enemy when you try to stay stuck in one point in time.

 

A lot of people criticize hip-hop radio for dumbing down the format. Do you feel that it’s gotten harder for innovative artists to break through?

 

No, I don’t think it’s harder for creative people to break through. First of all, history always repeats itself, and it’s all about people’s OPINIONS of what being creative really is. With that being said, there are different kinds of music and different kinds of hip-hop, whether it be the dance-friendly kind of the Soulja Boys or the [more conscious artists like] Kanye West. People have different opinions of what hip-hop really is, so people can choose what they wanna listen to.

Are there any particular artists on today’s scene whose sound you’re really feeling?

 

Man, I’m really a fan of Lil’ Wayne right now. I really think that he’d doing his thing as far as his talent and his flow.

 

A lot of rappers have obviously tried the acting gig at some point in their career, but you’ve had better luck than most. What’s the secret to successfully crossing over from hip-hop to Hollywood?

 

(Laughs) There is no real secret, man. At the end of the day, you either have the talent or you don’t, and you either take it seriously or you don’t. Those two things combined determine your success. A lot of rappers—a lot of entertainers, period—are given the opportunity to act just because of our popularity and who we are, so the difference between breaking through or not breaking through is how serious we take it. Studying the craft, working on your role, being humble and not thinking you know everything, and coming into it as a student, all of that has a lot to do with it.

 

Where does acting stand in relation to music on your career priority list?

 

Music is always my No. 1 love. But I find it challenging. Put it this way: whenever I focus on something, I like to concentrate my energy 100% on it. When I was in movie mode, I was not in music mode at all. I don’t want to get stereotyped as just another rapper-actor. I try to take it seriously, and I always feel I can get better. Right now, I’m back to music mode. But [acting] is definitely something I’d like to continue to do in the future.

 

I rode you drove your 1993 Acura for a long time because it helped keep you grounded. How hard is it to hold onto the essence of who you are when you’re surrounded by all the various trappings of fame?

 

(Laughs) I’m driving my 1993 Acura Legend as we speak! It does keep my grounded, man. Nobody really expects me to be driving this, but it’s just the memory of who I was and where I was when all of this began that’s most important to me. I don’t really let a lot of this fame get to my head. I have to stay grounded and remain who I am, and [the car] is just one of those reminders that takes me back to the grind.

 

But doesn’t that ideal go against the materialistic nature of what a lot of today’s hip-hop is about– getting the yacht, the Bentley and all that?

 

I have all of that stuff, too! (Laughs) But I stay true to who I am by setting goals for myself and constantly striving to achieve them.

 

Are you disappointed with any aspect of your life?

 

I’m just disappointed over the privacy issue sometimes. I’m recognized ALL of the time, so I can’t just do and go wherever the hell I want to by myself. I can, but there’s always an issue with it.  Autographs and shit like that. That’s great, ‘cuz it comes with the territory. But sometimes you just wanna shop or not be bothered. That’s the only thing.

 

Are there any particular hip-hop icons that you look up to and have tried to model your career after?

 

Russell Simmons is the man who laid the blueprint for anyone else I would probably name. I really look up to him. His business sense, how humble he is, and his desire to give back and acknowledge his responsibility here on Earth is extremely impressive.

 

That brings me right to my next question. Your charity organization, The Ludacris Foundation, does a lot of good work in the metro Atlanta area around the holidays.

 

Absolutely! We just gave away turkeys to over 500 families in need over the Thanksgiving holidays, including organizations that help out battered women, senior citizens and underprivileged kids. This is something we do every year, and for Christmas we did a toy drive and gave those to underprivileged families as well. But we’re constantly doing different things in the community.

 

Is there a central mission behind the foundation?

 

To help kids and families help themselves.

 

In one of your press releases, you talk about teaching kids the principles of success. What are the primary principles you hope kids will learn from you?

 

(Laughs) Well, the ones that are written down specifically I don’t have in my hands right now. But to put it in my own words, success is about being yourself, self-education and self-motivation. If we don’t do those things for ourselves, nobody else is gonna do it for us.

 

Why do you think the mainstream media tends to focus on the negative aspects of hip-hop artists’ lives, but doesn’t give much ink to the good things people like you and Russell Simmons are doing through your charity foundations?

 

You know, they try to paint us as bad individuals, and that’s a whole separate conversation. I could go on and on about that. But I feel like people try and put the blame on rap music for the simple fact that we definitely have a lot of influence over a lot of people. That being said, it’s all about negativity. But I don’t attribute violence to hip-hop; I attribute violence to ignorance. I don’t wanna stereotype and say that everybody does it, because there are certain publications that do focus on the positive things that are going on. But for the majority, you’re right.

 

How would you say your music has evolved as you’ve gotten older and more mature?

 

With every album I’m always escalating and taking it another direction. I’m perfecting my craft, becoming better. As you get older, you change as a person. But of course you’ll always hear the same Ludacris that most of the core audience loves. Then it’s always about taking things to the next level and doing things that people wouldn’t normally expect me to do.

 

After more than 10 years in the business, what would you say are the secrets to career longevity?

 

Staying consistent and staying grounded. It’s just that simple.

 

 (originally appeared in Georgia Music Magazine)

 

 

THE WHIGS- In The Dark Review

THE WHIGS

In The Dark

ATO

 

The Whigs have been on a slow, steady climb towards national stardom for four years now, ever since Rolling Stone named the Athens-based band one of “10 Artists To Watch” in the wake of their independently released 2005 debut, Give ‘Em All A Big Fat Lip. Within a year they had been signed to Dave Matthews’ ATO label, and by 2008’s Mission Control the band had become more confident in their blend of classic garage rock and more modern alt-rock influences.

 

After replacing original bassist Hank Sullivant (who joined MGMT) with Tim Deaux, the band embarked on a series of memorable late night talk show performances and high-profile tours. Returning home a much tighter trio, the group began writing and recording their third album in Athens with producer Ben Allen (Animal Collective). The result, In The Dark, represents another big step forward in The Whigs’ artistic evolution.

 

The first difference you’ll notice is an increased focus on the rhythm section of Deaux and Julian Dorio. According to frontman Parker Gispert, nine of these 11 songs began as drum and bass grooves, with Gispert’s guitar and vocal melodies woven in around them. The result is a tighter, more propulsive sound, with the opening “Hundred/Million” rollicking along for 54 seconds before the first guitar riff comes crashing in like a tidal wave and takes the track to a whole ‘nother level. When the guitar stands front and center on a song like “Kill Me Carolyne,” it recalls the Replacements and R.E.M., establishing The Whigs as heirs to that college-rock throne.

 

In The Dark is not a perfect album, but it is a very good one, suggesting the band may soon be headlining the same big venues where they supported Kings of Leon and Drive-By Truckers not too long ago. –BRET LOVE

(originally appeared in Georgia Music Magazine)

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS- The Big To-Do Review

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS

The Big To-Do

ATO

Twelve years after the release of their debut album and nine years after the conceptual genius of Southern Rock Opera established them as the 21^st century’s Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Drive-By Truckers are more prolific than ever. In the last two years they’ve released a studio album, a live album and a B-sides compilation, collaborated with Booker T Jones and Neil Young on the Grammy-winning Potato Hole, and recorded frontman Patterson Hood’s solo album, Murdering Oscar.

 

With so much recorded output, the band’s trademark Southern-style storytelling and 3-guitar attack has long since been established as a bona fide brand. So the only question at this point is whether or not you’re buying into their twangy country-rock sound. For fans, The Big To-Do will likely come across as the band’s most rocking album since Southern Rock Opera.

 

Hard-driving songs such as the opening “Daddy Learned To Fly” and “The Fourth Night of My Drinking” are classic DBT, but the stripped-down grooves of the slyly humorous “Drag The Lake Charlie” and the off-kilter “The Wig He Made Her Wear” are as warped and colorful as the distinctively Southern stories they tell. Bassist Shonna Tucker continues to cut her compositional teeth, contributing two of the album’s 13 tracks. The piano-driven balladry of her “You Got Another” borders on breathtaking, while Jay Gonzalez’s organs and John Neff’s haunting pedal steel give the closing “Eyes Like Glue” a high lonesome appeal.

 

The increased contributions of the other members not only takes some of the pressure off Hood and Mike Cooley’s shoulders, it allows the band’s sound to expand in an organic way. Ten albums into their career, the Drive-By Truckers remain one of rock’s most consistent bands, and The Big To-Do is another strong feather in their creative cap. –BRET LOVE

(originally appeared in Georgia Music Magazine)

BUTCH WALKER- I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart review

BUTCH WALKER & THE BLACK WIDOWS

I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart

One Haven

 

If you need proof that the music industry has shifted far away from the major label focus that prevailed for decades, look no further than Butch Walker. The Cartersville native has produced and/or co-written hit records for Pink, Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and Weezer in recent years, emerging as one of the hottest names in the recording field. Yet for his fifth solo album, we find the hitmaker signed to upstart indie One Haven Music, started in 2009 by A&R veteran Michael Caplan.

 

Whether by choice or circumstance, the reality underscores the irony that the former Marvelous 3 frontman is making the most accessible music of his career. Over the past two albums he’s all but abandoned the Bowie/Bolan glam fetish of the Let’s Go Out Tonites in favor of a more classic rock sound. The combination of turning 40, witnessing the birth of his first child and losing all his personal possessions and master recordings in the Malibu wildfires appears to have had a profound impact, and I Liked It Better’s mature lyrical themes reflect great personal growth.

 

The string-laden “Pretty Melody” would sound like some long-lost Motown song were it not for Walker’s lyrics, which chronicle a fateful bar meeting between a gorgeous girl and “just another tattooed tragedy,” who promises “I’ll be your open tab, you’ll be my favorite sin.” The pastoral “Don’t You Think Someone Should Take You Home” has a back-porch bluegrass influence, while “She Likes Hair Bands” sounds like a 21^st century Tom Petty and “Be Good ‘Til Then” is achingly pretty folk balladry. It may be too sedate for old school fans, but Butch Walker’s latest is a fantastic rock album made for grown-ups who understand the joy of beginnings, the sadness of endings and the difficult journey that lies between.  –BRET LOVE

(originally appeared in Georgia Music Magazine)

DAVID BERKELEY- Strange Light Review

DAVID BERKELEY

Strange Light

Straw Man/Thirty Tigers

 

Equally influenced by Nick Drake and Damien Rice, this promising singer-songwriter’s third album has a an achingly melodic sense of melancholy that should appeal to fans of Elliott Smith, Joshua Radin and their modern folk ilk. Produced by Brian Deck (Iron & Wine, Modest Mouse), with a guest appearance from Nickel Creek’s Sara Watkins, the album pays tribute to landmarks from the nomadic Berkeley’s past and present hometowns, from the dynamic build of “Willis Avenue Bridge” (which connects the Bronx and Manhattan) to the sweet, soulful horns that adorn his paean to Atlanta’s “Sweet Auburn.” A Harvard grad who studied literature and philosophy before working as a river rafting guide in Idaho and a writer in Alaska, Berkeley’s led an intriguing life. Though he may be settled with wife and child these days, you can hear the richness of his experiences in every intimate, well-crafted track. – BRET LOVE

(originally appeared in Georgia Music Magazine)

JOHN MAYER- Battle Studies Review

JOHN MAYER

Battle Studies

Columbia

 

It seems like an eternity since John Mayer came to Atlanta a wide-eyed Berklee College of Music dropout, partnering with Clay Cook to peddle his sensitive singer-songwriter shtick on the local coffeehouse circuit. But ever since Cook left in the late ‘90s to join the Marshall Tucker Band (he’s now working with Zac Brown), Mayer’s been refining an increasingly radio-friendly pop-rock sound, trading his funkier, more stripped-down jazz and blues influences for an adult contemporary smoothness designed to go down easy like Sunday morning.

 

It’s no secret that Mayer has emerged in recent years as pop music’s most formidable lothario (or douchebag, depending on how you see it), bedding a string of sexy sirens (including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jessica Simpson, Minka Kelly, Jennifer Aniston, etc.) that have made him a regular tabloid staple. So perhaps it’s no surprise that his fourth studio album, Battle Studies, boasts a strong seductive vibe squarely aimed at the fairer sex.

 

As if his personal life wasn’t enough to convince you that the former Atlanta folkie has “gone Hollywood,” the album was recorded in a house near Topanga Canyon, with Mayer claiming he wanted to get a “hazy, rustic, California, Don Henley, Fleetwood Mac feel.” The resulting record fits squarely into the adult-oriented rock tradition, channeling legends like Sting, Dire Straits and Eric Clapton. Its mood is perfectly suited for romantic evenings with a good wine and a warm fire, but from the U2-lite vibe of the opening “Heartbreak Warfare” to a tepid cover pf Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads,” it’s not terribly exciting.

 

Still, from the teary-eyed balladry of “All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye” to the soulful “Edge Of Desire,” this album is clearly aimed at the ladies. And if Mayer’s mandate was to hit the female of the species (or at least the kind most likely to be sipping on a merlot at Chastain Park) square in the heart, Battle Studies is mission accomplished. – BRET LOVE

(originally appeared in Georgia Music Magazine)

OTIS REDDING- The Best See & Hear

OTIS REDDING

The Best See & Hear

Shout Factory

 

The loss of any artist is tragic, but it seems all the more difficult when a legend-in-the-making is taken before their talent has had a chance to fully flourish. Dawson, Georgia’s favorite son was 26 when he died– old enough for his gritty Southern sound to make him one of the world’s most influential soul singers, yet too young for his formidable songwriting skills to have reached full maturity. We’ll never know what Otis Redding might have accomplished had he lived into his thirties or forties. But The Best See & Hear offers a wonderful portrait of the greatness he managed to achieve in his short life.

 

There have been dozens of posthumous albums released over the 42 years since Redding’s untimely death. But this Shout Factory set distinguishes itself by including both a CD of his greatest Stax/Volt hits and a 12-song DVD directed by D.A. Pennebaker (Don’t Look Back, Monterey Pop).  Recorded live in concert in Oslo, Norway (April, 1967) and Monterey, California (June, 1967), with Booker T. & the MG’s serving as his backing band, the DVD shows Redding just beginning to reach his peak.

 

He attacks songs such as “Shake,” “Satisfaction” and “Respect” (which he recorded before Aretha Franklin hit the charts with her version) with a joyous fervor before letting labelmates Sam & Dave deliver a short, inspired set. Then he returns to bring down the house with a sweat-drenched take on “Try A Little Tenderness,” whipping the respectful European crowd into a frenzy.

 

There’s nothing new here that Redding fans haven’t heard before, but seeing one of Georgia’s finest artists pouring his heart and soul into a riveting show reminds us what a cultural treasure the state lost in that plane crash on December 10, 1967. –BRET LOVE

(originally appeared in Georgia Music Magazine)

REUNITED- My interview with Goodie Mob

REUNITED- KHUJO ON THE RETURN OF GOODIE MOB

By Bret Love

 

He’s been off hip-hop’s radar screen for a few years, but as one-fourth of Goodie Mob, Khujo (born Willie Knighton, Jr.) was one of the architects of Atlanta’s hip-hop scene. With their 1995 debut, Soul Food, Goodie Mob introduced international audiences to the sound of the Dirty South, infusing rap music with heaping doses of gospel and soul. But when Cee-Lo left the quartet after the release of its third album, the group unraveled, never achieving the commercial success of their Dungeon Family brethren in Outkast. 

After an overlooked solo album, an outing with Goodie Mob’s T-Mo as the Lumberjacks and an accident that left him with an amputated leg, Khujo returned with a new project called Willie Isz, a collaboration with producer Jneiro Jarel that found him charting more tripped-out sonic territory. In our recent conversation, he discussed his latest album, his new outlook on life and that eagerly-awaited Goodie Mob reunion.

 

 

Atlanta's hip-hop scene was primarily local before Outkast and Goodie Mob broke out. What was it about the Dungeon Family sound that made it resonate on such a universal level?

We come from Georgia, and there’s a lot of great style here, from James Brown and Ray Charles to Curtis Mayfield. The first seven songs we did for Soul Food were recorded in Curtis Mayfield’s studio, so it was like we was getting that vibe and the guys were playing over [classic soul] samples and making a new sound. Once cats from up North and the West Coast heard that we were original and weren’t trying to be like nobody, they gave us a chance. I remember at the Source Awards in New York when Outkast got their five mics, everybody booed them. But if we hadn’t gotten that boo I don’t think we would’ve been as great as we were. It’s original music and original lyrics, and everybody in the Dungeon Family has their own personality, kinda like the Southern Wu-Tang. 

A lot of people don't give you guys credit for coining the term "Dirty South." What does that phrase represent for you?

The Dirty South slogan really meant to me that it was hard in the South to break that ceiling and get a major situation in the music industry. Now people are just playing dirty, ya know what I’m saying?  It’s a dirty game, and people think they can just come to the south [to make it]. These country boys just don’t know that we play dirty down here, and that goes for the Confederate flag and the black flag.

How do you feel about the way the Southern hip-hop scene has evolved over the years?

 

Well, it has changed, because once we opened that door everybody came through. We don’t have control over who comes out of the Dirty South. I like what’s goin’ on now because it keeps it fresh, even though I might not agree with everything that’s on the radio. My thing is balance: Some of these cats, their album is wack but they playin’ their one good song. But you can put on a Goodie Mob or Outkast CD and listen to the whole record.

 

You've always been one of hip-hop’s more spiritual MCs. What are the challenges of being a spiritual man in a soul-sucking industry?

 

You just gotta have that foundation, you know? Down here in the South, we went to church with our mamas and grandmamas, so we had a strong spiritual foundation. But once you get into the industry and find out it’s more about the business side than the creative side, you gotta have somebody on your team that can handle that junk so you can stay creative.

 

Goodie Mob always seemed like such a tight-knit group. Can you talk about the circumstances that led to Cee-Lo going solo?

 

It was kinda hard, because we was still young back in those days and we just couldn’t understand what was going on. Cee-Lo and our manager was going off doing other adventures, and Cee-Lo was like, “Man, I don’t wanna deal with him right now.” We thought it was just a little spat or something, but then we had to do a whole album and a tour of Japan by ourselves. We got off tour and wanted to record another album, but LaFace was like, “Y’all can’t record no album without Cee-Lo.” So we couldn’t tour, we couldn’t make money, we couldn’t put a record out… it looked real grim. We was upset about that and told LaFace we wanted out [of our contract]. They let us out, but they kept Cee-Lo. I just didn’t understand that. Then we got a situation with Koch [and released] One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show, but everything that happened was real frustrating. Me and Gipp just had to keep pushing.

 

Then you lost part your leg in an auto accident in 2002.

 

As a spiritual person, it was like God showed mercy on me. That day I’d just gotten my wax, because I was releasing my first solo album, The Man Not The Dawg. We were having a good time all day, then that night we went to one more club. I didn’t realize I had so much to drink until the airbag opened up on me. It blew me away, ‘cuz when they rolled me into the hospital the doctor was like, “We’re gonna have to amputate that leg.” I never did get the chance to see my leg, but they said it looked like it had been in a meat grinder.

 

How has that changed you as a person?

 

You can just call me Humble Goodie, man. (Laughs) It’s been a while now, and sometimes I forget about it.  But I was moving kinda fast back then, coming home late all the time, so that shit had to slow me down. It was a wake-up call. My wife was pregnant with my fourth son and we had to take the baby early, so I was in a wheelchair making breakfast while she was in there with the kids. We been through a lot of stuff…

What were the circumstances that brought you and Jneiro together to form Willie Isz?

 

Jneiro found me and told me he had this remix he wanted me on. I didn’t know who he was, but music to me is always about creating something new. I got on the song and it was jammin’, so we decided to do a record together. We worked through the cyber-world– he kept sending me music and I kept smashing– until we came up with a whole album.

 

What was it about his sound that appealed to you?

 

That guy reminds me of Organized Noize’s production. The way he produces sounds a lot like Outkast, so I was like, “This feels like home; this is what I been missing.” It was kinda like a buffer for me, or like a crutch. But this guy is for real, and he’s released three other albums prior to this one. His system of doing things has been exercised real good.

Can you talk about what the concept behind Georgiavania means to you?

 

There have been a lot of collabos lately, and Georgiavania was a better way of saying that this was a collaboration between Pennsylvania and Georgia. It’s kinda like psychedelic medieval chamber music, but with rap lyrics. The guy doesn’t just use samples– he plays on the stuff too– and it’s so outer space to me that we can go anywhere with it. It was cool, because Jneiro was like we can’t cuss on this record, which made it even tougher.  I think people who like a variety of different songs on their record are gonna like this album.

 

How would you compare the Khujo of Willie Isz with the MC you were back in Goodie Mob's day?

I’ve gotten better! My homeboy Shorty B, who produced Too Short, was like, “You be jamming, but I wanna see you rhyme more.” I took that to heart and I’ve been working on my style, trying not to keep people in left field. Now that I’ve gotten older, I can play around with words more than I could back in the Soul Food days. I think there’s always room for improvement, and I keep that in the back of my mind.

There have been rumors of a Goodie Mob reunion swirling for years, with an official announcement on V-103 back in 2007. Where does that stand?

 

We’ve been in the Dungeon working, but we still have a ways to go. Organized Noize is on they job with the production. We’ve already got seven songs together, and I think two of them are gonna be the meat of the album. The other ones remind me of World Party cuz we don’t have people crying, ya know? Music is still supposed to be entertaining, so we have a couple of uptempo songs that can bang at the club. The vibe now is all love. We done got old and understand that a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.  Even though things were different when we was young, we never got mad at each other and ran up in each other’s houses, because it wasn’t anything serious. I went to the studio yesterday and saw Gipp and T-Mo, so now we’re just waiting on Cee-Lo. He’s finishing up a couple of projects that he’s got going on. Once he’s done with that, we’re gonna submit the songs to him and see which ones he thinks is the hypest. There’s no release date yet, but hopefully in 2010.

(originally appeared in Georgia Music Magazine)

WELCOME TO KIZZALAND- My Interview w/Izza KIzza

WELCOME TO KIZZALAND

Introducing Izza Kizza, the Next-Gen Andre 3000

By Bret Love

 

If you don’t know Izza Kizza (government name: Terry Davis) yet, you might want to go ahead and jump on the bandwagon now or risk getting crushed in the bum rush when his “official” debut album is released later this year. I say “official” because Izza’s already released two absolutely incredible mix tapes (available for free download via his website, www.izzakizza.com), both of which establish him as the most skillful new MC to emerge since Slim Shady signed with Dre.

 

For evidence of his formidable mic skills, look no further than “Timbo Freestyle,” the seventh cut on his debut mix tape, Kizzaland. Over a 4-minute smorgasbord of producer Timbaland’s (with whom he was briefly signed) best beats, the 28-year-old Valdosta native delivers an astonishing array of rhyme styles, flipping up his flow more frequently than Madonna changes outfits. He can go sizzurp-slow and twisted, rock a hood-tough swagger, croon his own catchy hook, get fast ‘n’ futuristic like a next-gen Andre 3000, crack wacky jokes, or simply keep it real and emotional.

 

Izza credits this stylistic diversity to growing up in a small Southern town where pop, soul and R&B were more popular than hip-hop, and dancing and partying were deemed more important than acting street-tough. “Growing up in Valdosta,” he recalls, “they played Top 40 on the radio all the time, so it was a mixture of all different kinds of music. I remember singing Billy Ocean tunes, like ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.’ Back then we wasn’t getting the stuff that was coming out of New York in south Georgia.”

 

Though he hadn’t yet discovered his deep love for hip-hop, Izza’s passion for music began early, and he started out singing alongside his brother in an R&B vocal group and dancing with his cousins’ crew in talent contests. But he soon found himself inspired to give rapping a try, influenced by a surprisingly unlikely source.

 

“I was listening to a lot of Tupac, Easy-E, NWA, Too $hort, Eightball & MJG and I was feeling what they were talking about cuz I was living it in the ‘hood. But then Kris Kross came out, and before that there wasn’t no rappers from my generation. All the rappers we looked up to were older than us. But these dudes were my age! They took the bus just like I took the bus, so we had things in common. It was like, if these young dudes could get on, I can do this! It was at that point that I decided I should write a rap,” he admits with a laugh.

 

Perhaps not surprisingly given the lack of a scene in Valdosta, Izza ultimately left his hometown in search of stardom. But rather than head to the hip-hop mecca of the ATL, he wound up moving to New Jersey after a girlfriend hooked him up with her brother, Bless, of production crew Souldiggaz. Coming off working with artists such as Mary J. Blige, Souldiggaz was searching for new rappers, and found in Izza a cocky, confident MC who could slay ‘em in 16 bars. After trading music and rhymes via Fed Ex, they realized it was a match made in hip-hop heaven, and Izza claims moving north to work with them changed his entire perspective.

 

“My first week up there I’m at Sony Studios talking to Rockwilder” he recalls, still incredulous at the memory. “I was really into ‘Ordinary People’ at the time, and I found myself at Kanye West’s studio watching John Legend perform live, sitting close to Beyoncé and Jay-Z! They blew my mind, but it also inspired me.”

 

Equally inspiring was the gritty, futuristic style Souldiggaz gave to his music, elevating his already formidable game to whole ‘nother level. “They had this crazy pop to their beats, and there were so many creative minds working together in the studio, it just had this amazing energy. These guys brought my dream to reality, and by my second week in New Jersey I had a song called ‘Here Comes the Police’ playing on Hot 97. They taught me a lot, and they helped me get that swag.”

 

They also helped Izza, who’d never even had an email when they first started working together, get up on the wonders of modern technology. It’s a tool he quickly learned to use to his advantage, both for buzz-building marketing purposes and to distribute his music for free in an environment where even diehard music lovers are increasingly unwilling to pay to hear an unproven artist.

 

“The Internet is the most powerful promotional tool out there right now for an artist,” he insists. “A true hip-hop artist isn’t all about the money, but about showing that you have a gift and getting your music heard. I did these songs, and I want people to hear it! It’s hard times right now, so instead of saying ‘Buy my music,’ me and Souldiggaz decided this was the best approach.”

 

Clearly the concept is starting to pay off, as Izza’s career momentum is building steadily going into his debut album’s release (currently slated for 2010). He’s already worked with the likes of David Banner and Missy Elliott, had songs on So You Think You Can Dance and Madden NFL ’09, and appeared on a Paste magazine CD sampler, all without a record deal. The day of our interview, he was preparing to release yet another new single, “Runnin’,” for free via his website. So don’t expect Izza’s seemingly endless flow of ideas to stop anytime soon.

 

“I’m always creating and I’m gonna keep makin’ hot records, so why am I gonna try to hold onto a record?” he asks rhetorically. “People are harsh critics, but if I love what I’m puttin’ out I won’t worry what anybody else is gonna think about it. Because I love it! Let’s just put those hot records out and let people know we mean business.”

 

(originally appeared in Georgia Music Magazine)

 

 

STS9's Ad Explorata- CD Review

STS9- Ad Explorata  (1320 Records)

Sound Tribe Sector 9 was founded in the late ‘90s, when their unique brand of dub-influenced, improvisational breakbeats established them as peers of rising jam bands such as Disco Biscuits and Lake Trout. They quickly attracted a national following, and by 2001 they’d relocated to northern California and taken a deeper interest in spirituality and mysticism.

With Ad Explorata, STS9 has also taken an interest in shortwave radios, as the album was inspired by (and features samples of) transmissions found while tooling around with one. They reportedly stumbled onto an artificial female voice counting off numbers, then learned these transmissions came from numbers stations designed to transmit coded messages from government organizations to spies overseas (in 2001 the U.S. tried the Cuban Five for spying using info received from a Cuban station).

Enlisting the help of a crypto-hacker friend, STS9 found that the numbers corresponded with the coordinates of a military installation in Big Sur. Following a trail to an abandoned bunker, they found a rusted metal box containing several items, including the photo that became the cover of their “Atlas” single and a black ops military patch for a unit that gathered signal intelligence from other countries and, perhaps, galaxies. Their motto: “Ad Explorata, Forward Into The Unexplored.”

Whether you believe this extraordinary story or not, it’s hard to argue with the conceptual impact on Ad Explorata’s blend of jazz, funk, IDM, prog rock and spaced-out psychedelia, which creates some of the band’s most dynamic jams to date. From the Aphex Twin-like alien vibe of the opening “Phoneme” and the metallic guitar thrust of “Heavy” to the hypnotic dub groove of “Crypto City” and the tweaked-out glitch-hop of “Central,” this is the deepest, most intriguing effort of STS9’s career. If there is life on other planets, you can only imagine that this might be just the sort of transmission they’d love to hear.  (B)  –Bret Love

(originally appeared in Georgia Music Magazine)