Jake Lefco @ The Bell House

Carry on...

Kalae All Day - Black Dynamite

Visually vintage. Vocally appealing. To say, ‘there’s something about Kalae All Day’ is more astute than this cliche conveys. From her retro afro, to her customary 1970s style shades she rocks on the reg, to her bewitching smile and enthralling laughter which seems to ease into the atmosphere like incense; the appeal of this Harlem songstress is equally subtle and obvious. On stage she’s confident and commanding, bum-rushing raps and ballads like Pam Grier. And although she sounds much more compelling singing than she does rapping at this point in her young solo career, the fact that the art of emceeing only entered her repertoire a little over a year ago is encouraging to say the least. Already Kalae has shared the stage with the legendary MC Lyte, Jean Grae, and recently won Brooklyn Bodega’s October Show & Prove. She’s also performing alongside Talib Kweli, Niles, and others as part of the Idle Warship showcase at Southpaw on November 28th and has an album on the way entitled Afromatikneohippierock*solemuzik. “[The title] came about from people asking me whether I sing or rap. And I be like “I do everythang!”

Recently we got a chance to kick it with Kalae following her captivating performance at Sputnik Bar in Brooklyn. Read on as we get down to the facts on performing at the Playboy Mansion, dealing with ego, and how rocking in a choir ain’t for everybody. Microphone check, check, check, check.....

TCM: The-Quotable.com here with KalaeAllDay. How are you doing?

Kalae: This is so dope! Yo, I’m feeling great. Feeling good, feeling great!

TCM: So you’re an accomplished musician in your own right. Performing in the Harlem Choir, attending the Performing Arts School....

Kalae: [Laughs] If you want to call that accomplished, sure. Why not?

TCM: I think it is because you know, to continue at each level and move forward in chasing a dream at a passionate level and at the same time at an architectural level-because you’re learning how music is built and put together and where it comes from. So, how has you’re music experience affected your sound?

Kalae: To be honest, I went to Harlem School of the Arts when I was very very young. I was in there choir maybe from 4 to 7, I want to say. And I recall one time, being at like-I swear to you-The Playboy Mansion performing for them when I was that young. Right? The Playboy Mansion. Kinda crazy. But thats the only recollection I have of being in the Harlem School of the Arts Choir. Now, being in Professional Performing Arts School-I’m going to tell you something-that school is amazing, did not work out for me! [Laughs] Now, I learned a lot of basics from being in that school. And so, I appreciate going to that school, but it was not the right learning environment for me.

TCM: Why wasn’t it the right learning environment?

Kalae: I had a lot of internal issues and I have a problem with authority. And so for somebody to tell me how I have to sing, what I have to sing, and all this other shit-thats to me was nonsense-every single day was driving me insane! And the fact that like, I had this kind of relationship with our choir director where she saw something in me and was trying to pull it out in a way that I couldn’t deal with. Different people learn different ways, she wasn’t the correct teacher for me. So, her vision for me I respect and I understand and I’m honored she felt the way that she felt about me. I just didn’t understand it when I was that age. When I was going through high school, I was a crazy little teenager. And I’m only 20 now! But still, that was three years ago, and more. And so it was complicated. But you know, I learned a lot from doing that. And I had never actually been on stage doing my stuff. I enjoyed being with the choir, but maybe I was a little egotistical. Maybe I just wanted to do my own shit and fuck everybody else, like maybe. You know what I mean? Thinking back on it, in retrospect maybe that was my problem. Maybe I just didn’t enjoy having everybody sharing the spotlight with me! [Laughs]

TCM: Thats the problem with a choir. Theres a lot of people in them. They are a choir.

Kalae: Yeah! I was like “Shit! I should be in the front of this motherfucker!” [Laughs] But it was terrific experience. Whether thats good or bad, it was a terrific experience. If that makes sense. Now [after finishing high school], I started working. I went to college for a little while at Brooklyn College. BROOKLYN! [Laughs] I’m from Harlem. I started, lets see, the first show I ever did my music by myself was June 29th, 2008.

TCM: Where was the show?

Kalae: That was at a bar around the way on my block in Harlem. It was like a half hour to 45 minute set I did acoustic and it was amazing to do my first gig by myself. It took me 7 months to book that gig, mind you. And I did it to a track that [where] I recorded my vocals as the instrumentals. Then I recorded by verse on top of it. So like, I had absolutely nothing but like the free version of Pro Tools or Adobe Audition. Thats what it was called. The Free Trial, I did that shit on. I booked that gig and from that gig came a slew of other gigs. And so I feel very honored that, in one year, I’ve accomplished enough to be on stage with MC Lyte, Jean Grae! What the fuck??? I’m nobody! I feel like I’m not worthy!

TCM: So this is moving kind of fast for you. You’re career as a solo artist has been fairly short.

Kalae: Its been a year and a month. And a month and a couple days. [Laughs]

TCM: Is that scary? Is success intimidating at all?

Kalae: Its intimidating for other people. [Laughs] I feel like this is how its supposed to be, a natural progression. And when I say this is how its supposed to be, I’m still completely humbled by the experience. Without a doubt, I can’t believe it. At the same time its like I know this is my destiny so I’m accepting it and letting it be.

TCM: Speaking of that, thats what I took from [The Pedestal Song]. Where did that song come from?

Kalae: The Pedestal Song comes from dealing with ego. I was very introspective in high school, like during the couple of last years. And I was trying to learn about myself and try to figure out why I was fuckin’ up. You know what I mean? And I figured out one of those reasons was because of my ego. And so, from learning how the ego works and how dangerous that shit is. And it helped me notice it in other people, and study it in other people, it really made me wanna....I write about it a lot. I talk about it a lot. But thats only because of personal experience. I mean the song is just...I put it in a way where I’m talking about a man, but really I’m using the man as a representation cause we all have ego. And thats why we “gotta humble ourselves, it wasn’t just you, you got some help.”

TCM: Yo, it comes across. It comes across in the song. Plus, its a banger. It gets the heads knocking. It feels good.

Kalae: Yeah, thats everybody’s favorite. I love that song.

TCM: But now, you’ll switch it up, though. You’ll kick rhymes then you’ll sing ballads. Which is more natural for you?

Kalae: Which is more natural? Singing, because I’ve only been rhyming for a year! [Laughing hysterically]

TCM: Really? Wait, how’d that even work its way into your sound?

Kalae: [Still laughing hysterically] Alright, so let me tell you how this went. Speaking of Lupe Fiasco. The first time I heard a Lupe Fiasco record, I was in high school. I remember thinking like, ‘shit yo! He can rhyme!’ Everything he said painted pictures for me. It was beautiful. First and foremost, I would have to say that I’m probably a writer. I love to write. I love to write anything. Anything you want me to write. I love writing, okay. So for me it was a natural progression of me writing my songs and my ballads and stuff like that to me writing in a more dynamic way. And it was like, I need to keep my voice up with the words that I am writing. And so, I was very influenced by my nephew. And he goes by the name KlaeFace, which is K-L-A-E. Isn’t that hilarious?!

TCM: Word? Okay, how old is he?

Kalae: He’s 25. And yes, I’m 20. He’s my nephew. So what? Now, he had these beats on, right? They were on a tape, okay. This is back when, I think I was 15.

TCM: Whats that 2004? He had a tape in 2004?

Kalae: I know, it wasn’t that long ago. But he was recording onto a tape. And he’s doing a mixtape that he dropped in Honolulu or some nonsense, right? And I was like “yo, let me get on it.” Just being silly, and he let me rhyme. Like, I was rhyming some of the lyrics I had written for another song. And, I mean I was terrible! I don’t know where that tape is but I’d never show it. I was terrible! Now, he’s laughing at me, of course. And so, I was like, okay, obviously I’m not a rapper.

Fast forward a couple of years later-I met this other dude-Pete Hype. He’s an amazing rapper. He became a really close friend of mine and I asked him “how do you rap?” And he was like “you just do it.” And a light bulb just popped up on the outside of my head. Now of course I didn’t just all of a sudden become a great rapper. What would happen is that I would just sing my lyrics real fast and then eventually I learned how to take the harmony away-cause I could always sing fast. I could always do that kind of stuff. So I was like “take the harmony away, take the melody away, take the melody away.” And then I took the melody away and then I was rapping. And I was like “Yes! I can rap now!” And I still struggle with it, I gotta be honest. When I write a rhyme, I have to practice that shit. I practice that mutherfucker, okay. And then I say it smooth, and I put the swagger on it and everybody thinks I’m a rapper and I’m like, “yeah baby, I’m a rapper!”

TCM: Lots of time in the mirror with the hairbrush?

Kalae: Not really.

TCM: No?

Kalae: No, I’ve never been a brush-as-a-mic person. Did you even notice that I don’t hold the mic that often? I like it in the mic stand.

TCM: I did notice that.

Kalae: I’m a mic-stand-kind of girl.

TCM: Thats gotta affect your swag a little bit, though. Since you’re rhyming now, you gotta get that B-girl into it.

Kalae: I’ma try. I’m going to work on it some more just for you.

Homeboy Sandman - Its All Happening

Everything seems to work out for Homeboy Sandman.

A couple weeks off a cleverly arranged West Coast tour, the six-foot-five-inch Queens lyricist swags across the Fifth Avenue veranda of the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building exactly on time for this interview. Its a blazing ninety-one degrees outside. Midtown banker’s and lawyer’s and other corporate citizen’s decked in business suit pants and rolled up button-downs or those fancy T-shirts women get away with wearing to the workplace; sit sporadically around the two of us, escaping the office for a too brief bite to eat.

Trademarked Fu-Manchu reaching from his chin, unshaven head revealing a young man’s George Jefferson-style bald spot, walking like a ball player. Visually, Homeboy Sandman is the picture of earnest confidence. He smiles when he talks to people. He speaks with a calm yet shifting cadence, complete with detailed sidebars and supportive tangents, always managing to bring the conversation full circle.

After a quick exchange of ‘what ups’, we migrate down 40th Street towards the library’s backyard - Bryant Park - this conversation’s location.

Armed with a perpetual positive attitude, hater-proof humility, and an inherent charisma designed for the bright lights; one would expect the artist born Angel Del Villar (Jr) to be successful in any field of human endeavor. His boarding school education at New Hampshire’s Holderness School (part of New York City’s Prep For Prep 9 program) taught him the value and breadth of perspective. His Ivy League experience at the University of Pennsylvania reinforced the fact that, in life, “things are the way you see them.” His father, prize fighter-turned-lawyer, Angel Del Villar Sr., instilled the virtues of relentless determination. With that type of pedigree, supplanting a legal career for a life rocking the mic wasn’t a risk for Homeboy Sandman. It was a necessity.

“I withdrew from law school to be an Emcee. And I can’t even fathom...I say to people do you think it would’ve been more crazy to stay in law school and become a lawyer when I wanna become an Emcee? I mean, I WANNA BE AN EMCEE! How can I stay in law school? But people are very nervous and stuff.”

Such a loaded decision came rather matter-of-factly for Boy Sand. His combination of seemingly limitless confidence, self actualization, and an envious work ethic has yielded an impressive amount of success in a rather short time frame. In the two and a half years since The Pterodactyl first took flight he’s already graced The Source’s Unsigned Hype section, the Chairman’s Choice column in XXL, Loud.com’s $100,000 Rapper Challenge finalist, and received critical praise for his two full length LPs (Nourishment Second Helpings and Actual Factual Pterodactyl). “I love [my career trajectory], man. Everything’s going according to plan. Everything that I’ve expected to happen is happening. All I’ve expected from the beginning is to make Hip Hop music that I would love to listen to. I know that people who love Hip Hop are going to love this.”

Stylistically, Homeboy waits for the beat to dictate the delivery. Where a rugged, tongue twister flow, on the rumbling “Comrade Punski” for example, screams of Big Pun, a melodic, beat embedded delivery such as the one mastered on the jollily genius “I-tunes Song” or “Kain News” embodies Eminem. Even his slow flow has Internet commentators kicking JadaKiss comparisons. The irony is that none of those legends truly rhyme like each other. So when Sandy states that he’s “a poet with no flow in particular. / Lines of parables parallel, / perpendicular,” that's exactly what he means.

But whats most refreshing is the conscious blend of style and substance. Neither is sacrificed for the other. Every panache laced lyric is loaded with contextual relevance. Hilarious tales of impromptu Mambo dance offs; or “Extreme Measures’” detailed depiction of a radio station hijacking; or “City Darker’s” vivid image of the New York City under belly; or scathing, braggadocio cypher rhymes like “Us and Them” or “Lightning Bolt. Lightning Rod” all connect directly with the listener. All flow like a cascading fountain full of words. This marriage between rhymes and style is intentional. Homeboy describes it as “lyrics so dope you don’t need the flow; flows so dope you don’t need the lyrics.” And as he sees it, as long as his records remain fresh, then nothing else matters.

“The only way you can lose what I’m building up is by putting out wack records. I don’t have to worry about anything else. I don’t have to worry about how I dress. I love wearing comfortable clothes everywhere. I don’t have to worry about what I say...The first song of mine that Peter Rosenberg ever spun was “Airwave Air Raid.” And he spun that on HOT97. The first line of that song is “First you got your HOT97 arsenic.” I don’t even have to change that! The first time I did the S.O.Bs. “Whose Next” I did that song. I don’t have to change anything. I could go straight up to people and say ‘Yo, I’d love to do your showcase but I’ma diss your thing’ cause my music is what I fall back on. People want to be strategic. I’m not for all that. [Fear of] ruffling feathers is for the birds.”

Now stepping into the next career phase; shifting from necessarily seeking out opportunities to show case his talents to his talents bringing opportunities directly to his inbox; Homeboy Sandman has reached the point where his raps clock revenue. Word of mouth and a live live show has generated constant growth in online and in-venue CD sales. The name Homeboy Sandman is now large enough to ensure audience turnout, allowing him to include a performance price. And his rhymes calculate enough buzz and Internet hits that he now charges for verses. “Its not untrue that featuring me on a song is gonna get people excellent exposure because people that love real Hip Hop are gonna wanna listen to it to see what I did on it. That's a valuable thing. And I’ve always said that I won’t charge for verses, I’ll charge for time.” But the biggest contributor to his finances is the influx of private investors.

“This is where a lot of my income has come from, this is why I was able to go to SXSW, this is why I was able to get my trademarking done. And this works for stuff that costs money. This is why I was able to get a computer. When you believe in yourself and you’ve proven yourself to be an uncompromising person, that inspires people so much that people want to fund some of the stuff you’re doing, man. I’ve not had to worry about so much of the money that's involved in this because I have people that literally contact me from hearing me on Squeez [Radio]...being impressed enough to do more research, being impressed enough by the research they did to say, ‘this guy is different from everybody else, anybody else. If I can help this kid, I’m going to, man.’ I have a couple of people that help me on a regular basis.”

Two and a half years in, write ups in the two major Hip Hop magazines, two critically praised LPs, four rap related sources of income, one uncompromising positive outlook; it is all going according to Sandman’s plan. “He doesn’t feel avarice.” He’s certainly not average. Everything seems to work out for The Mayor. Even potentially devastating situations are intersected by the forces of favor and opportunity.

Unbeknownst to most in attendance at this year’s Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, Homeboy Sandman was abnormally unprepared for his solo set. “I had to do these Shawn J. Period records...I got the beats a week before and...didn’t get to finish the verses up until 1AM the night before the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. I’m never nervous before a show, but before this show I was nervous because I was like ‘dag, I don’t know if I know this stuff.’” After spending the hour and a half between Second Stage hosting duties and Main Stage show time attempting to learn the lyrics to his songs, he persuaded himself to attempt an extremely risky strategy. “Maybe I’ll just read out the book, yo...I said to myself ‘would Black Thought do this?’ And I was able to visualize him doing it. I was able to visualize him doing it! When I told myself yes he would do it, I answered the question for myself, I was 100% gonna do it.”

As celestial intervention would have it, on his way back to the festival grounds while practicing how he planned to open the rhyme book without dropping the mic, Sandy improbably crossed paths with his mic idol, Black Thought himself talking to DJ J. Period. “When I saw him, I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t expect to see him. Fifteen-seconds ago I made a decision based on thinking, ‘what would Black Thought do?’ Here’s Black Thought standing right here on this corner!” He quickly interrupted the conversation and posed the question to The Roots’ legendary Emcee.

“He’s like ‘aight, whats the situation?’ and I broke it down to him. He said, ‘I don’t think I’d do it. And I don’t think I’d do it given the type of show it is and given the grand stage of it. I wouldn’t do it. Don’t let me tell you what to do.’ I said, ‘Yo, you ain’t telling me what to do. I just asked for you to be here and there you were. I’m not going to spit in the face of destiny.’ The only thing in the whole world that could’ve stopped me from doing that was Black Thought telling me not to do it.”

Then theres the time he was nearly evicted from his Queens apartment. “The first time I was supposed to be evicted...I owed over $4000 and I was about to give up in court.” Taking advice from the court clerk, he decided to fight a little bit more. “I got until the next month [to pay the back rent]. I got home that day, saw the email for the Tag Records competition in Harlem that I did and won a $5000 prize. That same day! I kind of knew...that I was going to win $5000 that day.” Not only did he pay off his debt, but once he returned from his west coast tour, a friend offered a great rent on a house in The Bronx. “I’m getting a crazy deal on two floors. I’m living larger than I was before! Granted I need to take the train to the bus and its a little ways, but that don’t bother me. I’m writing rhymes the whole time anyway. Everything always falls into place, man.”

Success seems to be in the cards for Homeboy Sandman. From his upbringing to his education to his innate confidence to his sonic originality to rocking as a cornerstone of one of the hottest online rap teams (the AOK Collective); luck intervening before disaster strikes is a product of preparation uniting with opportunity. His laser aimed focus on growth supersedes the burden of besting himself. “Doing new things is whats very important. I’m not trying to best what I did yesterday. I’m trying to grow.” He’s even rocking mics and interviews without hiding his bald spot these days, a visual testament to his maturation. Whether its his unique rhyme technique, or his crowd drawing live show, or his critically praised albums, The Mayor has “Mixed and Mastered and mastered all the disciplines”; bringing rhymes to life while making it seem routine. In the world of The Good Sun, there truly is no spoon.

As we bid our ‘Peace Outs’, simultaneously exiting this interview and Bryant Park, Homeboy noticed that his wallet (containing his cash, ID, and Metrocard) was missing from his mesh camouflaged shorts. The two of us urgently searched the park grounds, retracing our steps for seven minutes or so, all to no avail.

Scratch that. Most things work out for Homeboy Sandman.

Read The-Quotable's review of ACTUAL FACTUAL PTERODACTYL HERE

LUPE FIASCO - "WE RUN THIS TOWN" REMIX LIVE FROM GOVERNORS ISLAND

A Tale of Two CDs - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...PT II and The Blueprint 3

“Stop playing. / You know we run rap. / You know we done that. / Stop frontin, son. Put the gun back” - Raekwon

Two Emcees. Each from The Era. Each stepped into rap kicking ill rhymes revolving around the drug game. Each one etched his own, undeniable, legacy in the talisman of this rap shit by achieving the nearly unachievable: crafting a certified classic album.

This year, two legendary Emcees released highly anticipated sequels on the same day.

In various ways, Raekwon The Chef and Hova The God have walked perpendicular career paths since their nineteen-nineties debut. Rae of course experienced immediate classic status as a part of the ubiquitous Wu-Tang Clan and then again as a solo artist with the release of “The Purple Tape” (Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...). And although he would continue to maintain lyrical credibility as a part of later Wu releases and notable guest appearances, his solo career has been littered with under promoted and unimpactful follow-ups (Immobilarity, The Lex Diamond Story). Eventually, it would seem, The Chef’s individual contributions to The Culture plateaued.

Jay-Z’s musical career, on the other hand, spawned from within the shadows of The Purple Tape and Illmatic and Ready To Die and All Eyes On Me - outmaneuvering Industry naysayers and popular opinion to become the most accomplished, most respected, most prolific Emcee in the history of Hip Hop. His musical career alone exemplifies constant progression with mixed in shots of brilliance - represented most potently on his most revered albums Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album. But what can The Company Man say about Jay-Z that you don’t already know?

September Eight, Two Thousand and Nine marks an interesting intersection between these two legendary Emcees. Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...PT II is one of the most anticipated albums of the decade. All together, its been 4 years in the making complete with numerous production changes, guest appearances, label quagmires; you name it, OB4CL2 went through it. But with so much time and trepidation put into one project, not to mention that this is the sequel to one of the most celebrated albums of all time, can OB4CL2 live up to the astronomical hype?

Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 is without a doubt one of the most anticipated albums of 2009. Its the latest addition to the Blueprint series and in many ways represents Jay’s truest return to the album game since his 2003 pseudo retirement (Kingdom Come was like when Jordan came back wearing the four-five; a little rusty but still better than most. American Gangster was his conceptual excuse to step back into Reasonable Doubt mode and wash away Kingdom Come’s aristocratic undertones). The original Blueprint was a watershed moment in Hip Hop as it cemented Jay’s legacy as the undisputed title holder. The Blueprint 2 was....well, lets just say that The Blueprint 2 was “due.” Can part 3 restore the luster to The Blueprint brand?

“I’m talkin’ about music, I ain’t talkin about rap...” - Jay-Z

Jay-Z’s lyrical superiority on TB3 represents the best of rap music. Faux-progression and lapses into stagnant production represents the worst of rap music.

Raekwon’s dark images and crime rap depictions stereotypically represents the worst of rap music. OB4CL2’s unified sound scape and visual storytelling represents the best of rap music.

TB3 feels too long at 15 tracks. At 23 tracks, OB4CL2 feels too short.

Both artists enlisted several different top flight beat makers to craft their sonic backdrops. Where Rae’s production selection united to provide a cohesive sound supporting his album’s intentions, Jay’s production selection comes across as fractured and commercial, limiting his album’s intentions. Where Dilla and Rza and Dre and company seem to artistically compete for Rae’s best beat, Kanye and Pharrell and Swizz Beats and Timbo seem to compete for Jay’s top selling single.

On OB4CL2, every producer steps up. On TB3, Timbaland lets down.

The Blueprint 3 (complete with a week long media blitz including guest appearances on Letterman, Leno, Bill Maher, and a live concert broadcasted globally on Fuse TV) is CEO rap at its finest, packaged for today’s general consumer.

OB4CL2 (complete with early proclamations of classic status from fellow Emcees and those disenchanted with the Industry) is crime rap at its finest, packaged for longing Hip Hop heads.

The Blueprint 3, by design, symbolizes Hip Hop progression. Jay states he’s talking about music, he’s not talking about rap. Although his rhymes remain otherworldly throughout, stale beat selection (“On To The Next One”, 2 of 3 Timbo contributions) and repetitive commentary (“Off That”, “Reminder”) gravitationally pulls the progression back down to Earth. In the end, this album ends up being more about the raps than the music.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...PT II, by design, symbolizes a return to gritty, New York City Hip Hop. That good ‘ole Boom-Bap shit. Although Rae sticks to the least progressive rap subject (crime rap) throughout, otherworldly production and cinematic story telling propel his album out of this atmosphere. In the end, this album ends up being more about the music than the raps.

1995. The Era of wisdom. The Era of foolishness.

Two Emcees from that Era.

2009. Two sequels. The Blueprint 3. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...PT II.

A Tale of Two CDs...

Read The Blueprint 3 review here.

Read Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...PT II review here.

The Quotable Reviews: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...PT. II

“Soldiers in the front. / Let the heat pump!” - “House of Flying Daggers”

From mic to plug, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...PT. II is a masterpiece. 23 tracks. 13 producers. 4 years in the making. The wait was worth it. Lets get that part out of the way.

At 23 tracks in length, OB4CL2 is long. Yet somehow doesn’t feel that way. Its amazingly cohesive, especially considering how many different producers stopped through to drop bombs like Uncle Sam. The primarily crime tale content plays out nearly cinematically. Rae and fam all came spit game tight, vividly depicting all aspects of the drug game - the guns, the grams, the birds, the fiends, the cash, the consequences - all delivered with classic Wu-Tang aggression and vernacular.

OB4CL2 head-bangs in with J. Dilla’s marching drums and subtle sped-up soul sample on “House of Flying Daggers” as Raekwon, Ghost, Deck, and Meth toss the mic back and forth kicking scathing cypher rhymes like its 1995. The vibe turns more soulful on the Pete Rock produced, quintessential Rae crime story “Sonny’s Missing” and continues that way through the nostalgically triumphant “The New Wu.” “Pyrex Vision” finds The Chef “trying to form a rock up and double it” while “Cold Outside” delivers an early image of the dark side of that career path. “Sex, lies, murders, reps / bag the cassettes. / Vets dying on steps. / What’s really taking place in them hoods?”

The Eric Sermon produced, “Baggin Crack” through the sublime album closer “Walk Wit Me” is arguably the best track sequence on OB4CL2. Rae kicks the perfect flow over Alchemist’s gritty drums and trippy keys on “Surgical Gloves.” “Broken Safety” makes you wish Rae, Jada, and Styles would team up for a collabo album. Dilla delivers another soul moving beat on the emotional, Ol‘ Dirty Bastard tribute, “Ason Jones.” Tracks like “Have Mercy” and “Fat Lady Sings” portray the steep consequences of a life in the under world, adding a deeper, realer prospective to the crime rap content. The Dr. Dre produced, Lyfe Jennings assisted “Catalina” is both radio and club ready. Busta Rhymes‘ inspired performance on “About Me” is better than any verse he spit on his B.O.M.B.S. album. And the triumphant “Kiss The Ring” followed by the lyrically ridiculous “Walk Wit Me" wrap the album with an exclamation point.

Honestly what separates OB4CL2 from just about every other album is the extreme level of cohesive, artistic competition throughout. Every beat is doper than the previous at the same time every beat is doper than the next. Icewater and Scram Jones and Allah Justice and Necro brought just as much ruckus as Alchemist and Dilla and Rza and Dre. No one lets up. All did their duty in maintaining the vibe. The same can be said about each rhyming guest appearance’s lyrical performance. Everyone forces you to listen to them...even Cappadonna. The beats are live enough to listen to as background music. The rhymes are tight enough to compel you to run that ish back. The song transitions are near perfect - guiding the listener through a wave of sonic experiences, segued by classic Wu-Tang kung fu movie clips, of course. And most importantly, OB4CL2 improbably upholds if the not competes with the legacy of the original. Nostalgic and progressive. Simultaneously.

When so many different forces change and unite like an Obama campaign, you can’t help but want to know the story behind the creation of the opus. How did something this dope with so many different moving parts come to exist at all? What really went down during those 4 years?

I could nit-pick this album to death, searching for something wack about it. I could harp on minutia like the corny hook on “We Will Rob You” or the fact that after several discussions with my roommate, Maine, I’m still not sure of what’s going down on “Penitentiary.” Or maybe sit perched on my sometimes too high horse and slam the nearly all drug game content (which is rarely compelling these days), ignoring the ample amounts of artistic integrity and lyrical credibility included within.

But I hate to play myself. None of those things is enough to keep this album out of jPod rotation.

The unavoidable downside to OB4CL2 is that the rhymes, at times, are so coded in Wu-isms and 5 Percerter terminology that its difficult for the unfamiliar ear to decipher; to grasp what’s being said; to pick up what’s being put down.

But thats The Chef. Either you like it or your don’t. Either you ride or you walk.

The Company Man can’t fault anyone for being true to who they are. And OB4CL2 represents the best of who Raekwon is - one of the illest crime-storytellers of all time. Hip Hop’s Scorsese.[1] So salute, and toast to the best who done it. Its murder rap shit spit for the vets who love it.”

Rating: QQQQ.5

[1] True Story: My boy Yahnick showed up ticketless to Rae's sold-out album release party last week, hustled his way into the show for free, slithered his way past two different bouncers at two different checkpoints, and quickly swagged his way into Rae's inner circle. By the time we accepted our denial at bouncer #2 (shouts to Raven The Blazin Eurasian at Da Listening Session. Dope underground Hip Hop radio at its finest) and sprinted outside to intersect Rae before his Maybach escape from S.O.B.s back garage, Yahnick was fresh off an invite to roll with Rae to the after hours spot and dapping him up in the middle of The-Quotable's interview. It was there that he coined the phrase "Hip Hop Scorsese." Rae loved it. Props to TRL Management. Now thats relationship building.

The-Quotable Reviews: The Blueprint 3

“I’m talkin’ music, I ain’t talkin about rap. / You talkin‘ bout whats hot, I ain’t talkin‘ bout that. / The conversation has changed, lets yap about that. / I don’t run rap no more, I run the map.” - “What We Talkin‘ About”; The Blueprint 3

On the real, Jay-Z may be the best ever at opening an album. He has an uncanny ability to know exactly which tracks will put the listener immediately in the exact zone needed to sink into the LP. Think about it, whether its the Scarface or Carlito’s Way intros on Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, or “Can’t Knock The Hustle” on Reasonable Doubt, or “The Rulers Back” on The Blueprint, or “The Prelude”, or “Hova’s Song” or “December 4th”; Hova The God comes hard right out the gate. No one does it better. TB3 is no exception.

“What We Talkin‘ About’s” synth injected keys and subdued bass line provides the perfect backdrop for Jay’s effortless delivery and proclamations of progression - the overall theme of this Part 3. The transition into “Thank You” keeps heads knocking and Jay’s ill 911 analogy for whack rappers is worth running back repeatedly. “Empire State Of Mind’s” sublime chorus and ridiculous word play immediately re-instills pride in New York City rap music and is probably one of the rare songs that you don’t mind being overplayed. It just feels good. Seriously, this cut is loaded with real life content, dope quotables and truisms. Real quick, The Company Man’s top 4:

1. “Shit I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can.” - absolutely true.
2. “Caught up in The In Crowd / Now you’re In Style / Anna Wintour gets cold / In Vogue with your skin out” - dropping mean fashion analogies while describing how young women lose themselves in the limelight.
3. “Welcome to the Melting Pot / Corners where they selling rock / Afrika Bambataa shit / home of that Hip Hop.” - just feels like NYC.
4. “The City never sleeps. Better slip you an Ambien.” - the perfect conclusion.

Back to the review...

Young Jeezy continues to improve, dropping two suitable verses on the triumphant “As Real As It Gets.” “And if you listen hard enough I say some thangs.” You gotta appreciate the unintentional comedy of that Jeezy line. “A Star Is Born” is possibly the most potent cut on the album, putting into perspective Jay’s longevity by name dropping the chart topping artists he’s outlasted. The hopping snare and perfect hook and standout J.Cole performance all blend perfectly.

Matter of fact, “A Star Is Born” leads off TB3’s best run. “Venus Vs. Mars’” hollowed 808s and paradigm shifting relationship commentary diversifies the album content. “Already Home” is an immediate airwave snatcher. And as far as hater songs go, “Hate” may be one of the best ever (my boy Maine pointed that out and he’s absolutely correct. Shouts to CNY Collective). Here, ‘Ye and Jay trade venom spitting bars at their many detractors over Kanye’s bass-heavy, minimalistic production cypher style. No hook. Just rhymes. Bravo.

If “A Star Is Born” is the album’s most potent cut, then “So Ambitious” is its most important. Its felt like years since Jay’s provided a truly introspective song on an album (I’m thinking something from The Black Album, like “Moment of Clarity” or “Allure.” Possibly “Fallen" off American Gangster). This is his Michael Jordan Hall of Fame speech. This is Jay expounding on all the negative comments and career roadblocks he powered through throughout his life and how each naysayer provided fuel to the proverbial fire. Here, he goes Van Gogh over Pharell’s majestic sound scape, switching styles and perspectives on each verse, dropping memorable line after line, painting lyrical pictures. “I had a couple of meetings, no offers yet. / Maybe I’m not good enough for these offices. / Back to the drawing board, duckin officers. / Its all good cause the streets is A&Ring this.” Through all of his accomplishments and swaggerific, lyrical bravado, the level of trepidation Jay-Z trampled over is often lost in the lore. This is the most honest reminder of his career.

“Feel it coming in the air. / Hear the screams from everywhere...” - “We Run This Town”; The Blueprint 3

Through all of its dopeness, The Blueprint 3 fails to evade the wackness. Tracks like the sonically generic “On To The Next One” and faux-progressive “Off That” and “Reminder” sound like they belong on any other Jay-Z album (the non-classic ones), fracturing the album with one time listens. Not only is the production on each less than to be desired, but the commentary consists of little more than stale proclamations of Hova’s accomplishments. None of the three offer an original or interesting angle on the album’s mission: Hip Hop progression. Ironically, the songs that are supposed to signify how far ahead of his time Jay-Z remains, are also the ones that sound the most like what everyone else is doing. Its difficult to stay out front when you’re playing in other people’s sandboxes. Hell, even “We Run This Town” sounds like T.I.’s “Live Your Life’s” tag-along step brother.

D.O.A. is a different problem. The Company Man already spoke on this here, so I’ll save the commentary. But what happens if Jay doesn’t end Auto-Tune? Seriously, Country Music acts are now using Auto-Tune. Does the song even mean anything if it doesn’t extinguish this latest scourge to artistic integrity? Whatever happened to Cristal? Did heads stop drinking after Jay’s boycott? I don’t know the answer to that question. I’m just asking. What if the song was D.O.H.H. (Death Of Healthcare Hustle)? Or D.O.S.R.L.E (Death Of Shady Record Label Execs)? Or D.O.W.R. (Death of Wack Rappers)? I mean, there are a 4,080 other issues out there to address. Does Auto-Tune deserve to be that high on the list?

Albums are about Replay Value, I don’t know how I to emphasize that enough. The more I press skip, the less likely I am to continue to listen an album in its entirety again and again and again. And thats why I buy albums....to listen to them! I don’t want to be on mile 2.1 or 2.7, so deep into an album that I forget that I’m even running, then have to reach into my pocket, pull out my ipod and press skip, interrupting my psychological distraction and reminding me that I am actually running, all because “Reminder” and its whinny, eardrum grating hook infiltrated my earbuds! The more times that I have to do that, the worse an album becomes. And nearly one-third of The Blueprint 3 is skip-inducing. Thats never a good ratio. At its best this is the second best of the Blueprint series - CEO rap at its finest. At its worst its too long and and too often topically shallow. If you can make a song as progressive and lyrically relevant as “A Star Is Born” or “Thank You” or “So Ambitious”, why would you surround it with stale leftovers like “Reminder” or “Off That”?

I don’t know the answer for that either.

Rating: QQQ.5

Hezekiah - Under Appreciated, Under Promoted

The music industry is a treacherous place. Littered with pot holes. And pit falls. And Fight Night-type power punches. Polluted with false promises and contractual choke-holds. Talent and temperament aren’t enough to successfully navigate such a terrible terra belle. Luck and opportunity must be in the atmosphere. A keen instinct must be in the holster. Patience is a must. Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid...hopefully. And should an artist improbably bob and weave all the way to the promised land - that place where financial security and artistic integrity unite like Wonder Twins - then a new battle begins: the battle to stay relevant; The Battle To Not Fall Off.

Inevitably, some of the most talented artists become disenchanted with The Game and step away before entering their initials. Its a common theme down the journey to success. A dream deterred. A guaranteed hit unheard. Some passengers decide on a different course, a different land of promise. Only leaving behind an under-heard catalogue and a handful of longing fans. Its unfortunate. Or as Hezekiah stated after his incendiary performance on Night 2 of the Rock The Block Fest, “its a shame.”

In perhaps one of his last interviews as a performing artist - producer, singer, guirtar maestro, Emcee - Hezekiah opines on a frustrating lack of progression in the music industry, getting chased by the Ku Klux Klan, Conscious Porn, and hanging up the mic for good. Microphone check, check, check, check...

TCM: Right off the bat, you are a hella talented individual. You are all aspects of the sound you put out. You produce music. You emcee. You sing. You play the guitar. Is there an aspect that is more difficult from a creative standpoint when putting everything together?

Hezekiah: The only time its difficult is, usually when working with other artists. Sometimes. Sometimes its like a battle. You know? Its not a battle. Its more like the compromising thing. And you know, sometimes you just go through that working with producers and artists. And you know, just doing things with other artists and sometimes that becomes difficult. But um, from a producers standpoint thats the only thing. But the outcome is always good because they teach me as well as me teaching them. So I can use certain things that they show me in that compromise. Sometimes I learn lessons, so I can use them in my projects.

TCM: From your point of view, being that you have a diverse interest in music all together - is there something that you try to put out there thats not necessarily received the same way from a producers standpoint? Because you shop beats - you work with G-Unit, for example. You work with artists all over. But is there something that you feel is missing from what you’re hearing and that you try to provide that is not received?

Hezekiah: Yeah. Progression. Progression. Every time I shop to some people like G-Unit, I got a slew of commercial beats. See, I do all kinds of production from like soul stuff to like street stuff. And um, every time I shop beats, I throw like seven beats in - and then like two of the beats would be like progressive beats. You know what I’m sayin? Some old weirdo shit, and I just try to slip it in there. And, um, I think that, um, the progression in Hip Hop - I feel like Hip Hop isn’t growing and I just want to add to it instead of sustaining it and being content with what we do. You should never be content with your art because then you will eventually fall off. And you will be...pigeon held.

TCM: I think one of the things that stands out about you, at least from your creative influences, is you’ll site UTFO at the same time you’ll site Kool G Rap. And then you’ll site country music. So what’s your favorite country music song?

Hezekiah: Um...um...um...Willie Nelson got that song called “Country Boy Will Survive”!*** Yeah, thats my jawn, yo! [starts singing] “We say grace and we say ma’am / if you ain’t into that we don’t give a damn.” Its like country got some hard lyrics, you know what I’m sayin? So, there it is yo...

TCM: But at the same time, country music is real story driven. You tell a lot of vivid tales in your music as well.

Hezekiah: Thats from my father, man. My fathers like straight from Kentucky - Huddy, Kentucky. And like, I was raised on like Blue Grass, dog. Yeah.

TCM: Being from Delaware, you don’t hear Delaware rep’d too hard on the Hip Hop landscape. How did your upbringing influence your music? We know you’re diverse [musically], all over the spectrum - but did Delaware have a specific influence?

Hezekiah: Well my mom was from...well my family is from Chester, Pennsylvania. Which is like, I was born in William Penn Projects in Chester, Pennsylvania. So I’m a project kid up until the age of like 14-15. Then my dad, you know, got a promotion then moved us to the suburbs in New Castle, Delaware. So...and my family was like real musical. You know what I mean? So, me moving to Delaware balanced me out, you know what I mean? I always had like, in the household be an individual and don’t follow other people. But, being in Delaware balanced me out. It made me less of a hood kid, more cultured. And more accepting of other cultures, you know what I’m saying? So, yeah man, being in Delaware really leveled me out and kind of humbled me at the same time. It really, like, you know what I’m saying, made me appreciate other people. You know what I mean? Like, even from the racist rednecks. Just how to deal with the extreme racism. You know what I’m saying? My next door neighbor was like a KKK member, you know what I mean? Like, stuff like that. Just...it really, like it was a crash course in like...life.

TCM: Thats interesting, though. Did you have any run ins with the redneck neighbors?

Hezekiah: Yeah, I was chased by the Klan like two times.

TCM: Word?

Hezekiah: Yeah. Before our development was developed, it was next to a farm named Quiggley’s Farm. It was farm land and woods...

TCM: That sounds like a KKK name - Quiggley’s Farm.

Hezekiah: Exactly. Quiggley’s Farm. And, you know what I’m saying, I got chased through the woods. And that made me less like...ignorant. Because I watch a lot of black comedy you can say - I’m rambling on - I watch a lot black comedy. Shit like this got erased from my brain and shit. Like, black comedians would say “look at white people in scary movies, they always running through the woods and falling and shit” you know what I’m saying? But I’m like “black people you always running in the city, the ground is flat! I ran in the woods at night before. The ground is not flat! Theres dips and shit. And trees...you gonna fall!” I fell every couple of steps running from the Klan! I don’t even know how I got away. And by the time I got home, I was covered with mud. So, like being in Delaware put a lot of bullshit out of the way I think.

TCM: That puts a lot of horror flicks in perspective...

Hezekiah: That shit is real! That shit is real, yo! The ground is not flat! [Laughs]

TCM: I’m from South Carolina, I relate to that shit.

Hezekiah: You know! [Laughs]

TCM: Yo, so you got a line - I want to quote you real quick - “So underground / under appreciated / under promoted.” And I look at that line specifically because when it comes to new artists, it seems like the most difficult part is gaining that respect as an artist and the fact that your music is profitable - from an artist stand point.

Hezekiah: Nah, nah, dead real. And you gotta...and convincing labels or whoever, the investor to invest money into you - because it takes money to make money. So you gotta show them that you’re profitable. And I swear to God I never got to prove that to a label. Its a shame. Like, the deal with Rawkus was like, a mess because, like, they didn’t follow through on what they promised they was going to do. So, you know, I’m not bitter or nothing. Its just is what it was and I am where I am now, you know. But...

TCM: Thats interesting because in the Art of Rhyme interview you did in 2007 you were talking about the decision between going to G-Unit and they weren’t really seeing the vision - [but instead] going with Rawkus because they guaranteed a 2007 release. Are you jaded at all by the label game or, how do you feel?

Hezekiah: Nah, nah, I’m really...disenchanted. You know what I’m saying? The album I’m recording now is my last album. I don’t even want to be an artist no more.

TCM: Wowwww.

Hezekiah: Really. Dead real.

TCM: So this is like your retirement, your farewell tour.

Hezekiah: [Who] I’m saying bye to, like 5 people?? You know what I’m saying? But I’m like out man. I’m just going to be behind the scenes producing. And thats it. As an artist I’m done. I’m tired man.

TCM: Wow. Thats crazy.

Hezekiah: Yeah, real talk. I tried, man. I swung...I swung with my best punches, best combinations. This album right here, I’m just on some new wild out shit for the new album. Like, I don’t give a fuck on this new album, you know what I’m saying. But its a quality album - I got Nottz on the production, Oddisee, myself - and thats it. Eric Roberson’s on it, Raheem Devaughn, Cody Chestnutt, my homegirl TK Wonder, she’s here right now, she’s on the album.

TCM: Whats the title?

Hezekiah: Conscious Porn.

TCM: Conscious Porn? Okay, okay. I like that.

Hezekiah: So its going to be a brand...

TCM: Like Me So Horny...

Hezekiah: Like Me So Horny, right! [Laughs] I mean, I’ve always been that dude, like you know what I’m saying. I’ve always been conscious, but I’ll say some wild shit on the other side. Just real...its not really...um...what do you call it...contradictory. Its just real shit. Everybody’s like...if you say your one thing, you’re lying. I’d rather be real.

TCM: I think at the same time too, contradiction relates to people. I think everyone has an inherent contradiction in the way they live their lives - “respect your mother”, “fuck the girl” you know what I mean?

Hezekiah: Right, right, right...

TCM: But being that you’re also from Philly, and I think Philly has its own distinct sound - obviously has its own distinct sound - but its an interesting paradigm when you have neo soul basically birthed out of Philly but then have some of the grittiest Emcees that come out of Philly at the same time. And it all meshes together and everyone seems to work together. So how do you feel about Philly Hip Hop?

Hezekiah: Its all around. Like, I mean, not only did the soul movement happen in Philly; not only do they got strong street rappers like Gilly, and Freeway, Beans; the Hipster movement started in Philly - Diplo, MIA, all of them...

TCM: Santogold.

Hezekiah: Yeah, she’s born and raised in Philly, you know what I’m saying? The whole Hipster movement came from Philly. So...and everybody interacts with each other. I love it, man. You’ll see Freeway performing at a Hipster party. A lot! So...everybody interacts with each other.

TCM: Speaking of Freeway, is he pulling you on tonight? Yall got tracks together...

Hezekiah: I have no idea. I’m like ‘where is this dude at???‘ We’re supposed to do that. We got two tracks together.

TCM: You know what though, tonight’s crowd could be better. But I saw an article in XXL with Freeway rocking to like 17 people in Montana or Wyoming or someplace. So, you know, hopefully he’ll show up.

[Editors Note] Philadelphia Freeway never showed up to the Rock The Block Fest. No specific reason was given by the promoters.

*** “A Country Boy Can Survive” was written and performed by Hank Williams Jr.

The Blueprint 3 Album Review

I know. I know. The title is misleading. I mean, I haven’t even heard Blueprint 3 in its entirety. How can I possibly write an album review?

The answer?

I can’t.

But there is a “but”. Theres always a “but.” And here’s mine:

But...I have heard those same four underwhelming buzz generators leaked to the interweb over the past couple of months. And if “D.O.A”, “We Run This Town”, “Off That”, and “Reminder” are any indicator of how Blueprint 3 will ultimately sound, then the replay value potential looks bleaker than Memphis Bleek going platinum.

“D.O.A” with its commercialized rebellion and faux-trend-bucking represents supreme irony, if not hypocrisy, given that Jay-Z is a one-time president of Def Jam records. And that while El Presidente held office - where he truly was in a position to drive cultural change to the business and sonic side of this Rap Shit - he financially rode the major label bandwagon by pushing whichever Dirty South pump-faking drug-kingpin hard body. Translation: He didn’t do anything different from what was already in motion before him. He didn’t make any changes. And when he finally decides to address a Hip Hop issue, he chooses Auto Tune? Word???

“We Run This Town” is dope. Glad to have Rihanna back. Jay-Z drops two yawn inducing verses. And Kanye sounds like he finally surpassed his “Big Brother.” Not to mention that the track feels like T.I.’s “Live Your Life” which is a great thing if you don’t expect originality from your All-Time Greats.

“Off That” ushers in even more irony given that its supposedly about Jay’s futuristic lifestyle and always-ahead-of-the-game reputation but sports more stale swaggerific content (“Cashmere sweats / they come out next year / but they’re my last year sweats”) and a Timbaland beat circa 2006. Somewhere Justin Timberlake is waiting to break Drake’s other knee-cap for snagging his guest appearance. Unimpressive.

“Reminder” is a return to flossy Jay-Z bragging about his career legacy, dusting his shoulders off on all detractors. You know, stuff he pointed out on Blueprint 1, Blueprint 2, The Black Album, Kingdom Come, American Gangster. Stuff we’ve already heard before. Except the beat and hook are wacker than on any of the earlier editions. 0 for 2 for Timbo.

“But, but, but, but wait it gets worse...” - Onyx, “Slam”

Here comes the biggest problem. Take a look at Blueprint 3’s track listing:

1. What We Talkin' About ft. Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun
2. Thank You
3. D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)
4. Run This Town ft. Kanye West and Rihanna
5. Empire State of Mind ft. Alicia Keys
6. Real As It Gets ft Young Jeezy
7. On To the Next One ft. Swizz Beatz
8. Off That ft. Drake
9. A Star is Bortn ft. J. Cole
10. Venus VS. Mars
11. Already Home ft. Kid Cudi
12. Hate ft. Kanye West
13. Reminder
14. So Ambitious ft. Pharrell
15. Young Forever ft. Mr. Hudson

As of today, Blueprint 3 stands 15 tracks in length. 3 of 4 of the leaked tracks are underwhelming if not unlistenable and expect “Run This Town” to get run into the ground by the end of September. Thats a quarter of the album already out of rotation! Plus, “D.O.A.” and “Run This Town” are back to back at track 3 and track 4 which means that - at best - I’ll rock the first two tracks then either skip or suffer through the next two tracks. Thats not a good ratio for the opening stretch on any album.

I haven’t heard the next three tracks, but “Real As It Gets” features Young Jeezy. Any track with words “featuring Young Jeezy” is an immediate red flag since the Snowman is subpar most of the time. And “On To The Next One” features Swizz Beatz which could be cool if the beat avoids sounding like the generic club soundscape he’s banked off of since “Upgrade You”. Which means if Jeezy gets an entire verse and Swizz delivers another “swing your Louie rag” two-crapper (I mean two-stepper), then The Company Man could find himself skipping 5 out of the first 8 tracks (including “Off That” at track 8)! But since I’m feeling positive today I’ll give Swizzy the benefit of the doubt. 4 out of the first 8 tracks! Toss “Reminder” on top of that and suddenly a third of the album is loaded with one-time listens!!!

We’re talking about replay value here. It doesn’t get any more important than replay value. The more you press “Skip” on an album, the less you want to listen to it again and again and again. And I’m an album cat. Singles are cool. Singles are played on the radio all the time.

But...I don’t listen to the radio either.

Aren't You Adrien Brody? - NSR Interview

“She said, ‘Aren’t you Adrien Brody?’ / I get it all the time except he’s more boney.”

NSR belongs on stage. His natural charisma and ability to connect with an audience is apparent as soon as he steps into the spotlight. Heads gravitate towards the Upper Westside Emcee’s witty word play and earnest showmanship. I mean, anyone who can rock the mic rockin‘ boat shoes and calf-cuffed jeans and not get Sandman’d off Apollo style is doing something right. Right? Thats the thing about Hip Hop - there’s room for everyone. Well, anyone that comes spit game tight.

We caught up with NSR following his crowd-turning performance at the Rock Block Fest. Read on as we discussed witty word play, Asher Roth, and of course, wearing boat shoes!

TCM: The-Quotable.com here with NSR. How you feeling?

NSR: Yo, I’m feeling blessed to just rock a huge stage with Styles P. I’m fucking exhausted. I feel great, man. You know, it was uh, its just a blessing for me to be able to get this platform to showcase shit. And this is a sound, this is what I’ve been doing thats kind of been hovering on the low, and its just great to be able to put it out there. And if people are receptive to it, thats amazing. You know what I mean, if not, its all good. I’m just happy to be here, man. I’m blessed. I’m blessed to have you come up and want to hear from me. You know what I mean? Honestly. Thats how I feel.

TCM: And honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from your show but you had heads knocking throughout. [That] “Adrien Brody” opening - you put all the bullshit on the table immediately [before it could be brought up by others] - where did that song come from?

NSR: It came from...honestly, it came from hearing people calling me Adrien Brody constantly. Like, I would go out, and it would be like 3 or 4 times like “oh you know who you look like?’ ‘Yeah. Adrien Brody.” But there was the one night - my producer Turns lives in Boston, and I was in Boston - and I heard it like 4 times in a night while I was there. And it was like the last straw. I was chilling in his crib and this girl came over and she was like ‘you know who you look like?‘ And before she finished the sentence, I ran into my man’s room, we got on the MPC, and we went in that night. And we made the beat, wrote the song that night, recorded it the next morning. And then that was it. It started as a joke, honestly. It started just as like a fun song. I can’t even say it was a joke, it just started as a fun song, you know? And it turned into, people were really receptive to it and feeling it. You know what I mean? It was weird. But at the same time like - and I hate to categorize it as a joke because its not - but its almost commentary on that aspect, that social dynamic. Like people are like, all the time, just in regular discourse, like ‘yo, you remind me of‘ or ‘yo, you look like‘ or, etcetera. I’m sure you’ve got it before. I’m sure everyones gotten ‘oh, you look like this person...’ celebrity or otherwise. And in school I got it so much I gotta speak on it.

TCM: Now, one of the lines on there was - “if I really look like Adrien Brody, I’ll play him on Broadway and win a Tony.” It was witty. The whole track was packed with clever witticism. You had a lot of clever rhymes in there.

NSR: Thank you man.

TCM: So what obstacles do you see ahead of you? And the comparisons are - like Asher Roth is out now and he plays a lot off witticism. How do you plan to separate yourself?

NSR: For sure. Like I said in one of my jams, “Know I Couldn’t”, I mean, I feel like I’m a...sometimes I’m a funny dude. I like to take humor in a lot of things. And I also like just to talk about shit that I know about. And I feel like thats one of the most amazing things about Hip Hop - that the wackness and the fake shit will get weeded out regardless. And the real shit...Thats why - and I hate to bring [up] Asher. Asher’s whatever, but Asher has his lane. Hip Hop has been in the suburbs for years and they have a spokesman now. And he has cosigns from Beanie Siegel, Ludacris, etcetera, all these big people. Because I think they can sense that genuineness and that authenticity. But Asher aside, I grew up on the Upper Westside of Manhattan. I went to a New York City public school. I grew around Hip Hop. I grew up around Nirvana. I grew up around Pearl Jam. Um, so, in terms of my game plan, I just, you know, I just try to make fun music, man. Music is about having fun to me. I go up on stage [and] I have the time of my life, man. And I think there are a lot of people that take themselves too seriously. Especially as a white Emcee. You have to know as a white Emcee that you’re entering into a black art form. You have to get that through your head, truthfully. And I feel like I have fun with my music and people are receptive to it, you know what I mean? And not to say that shit to joke. I talk about politics. I talk about that girl and guy at a bar. You know what I mean? I talk about shits thats in my life. I like to read the New York Times. I like to have sex with girls...

TCM: You like to wear boat shoes.

NSR: I like to wear boat shoes, you know! I talk about what I want to talk about. Yeah, and its funny, if we can make good songs and the people are happy and people have fun - if people come to the show and they’re fucking smiling and having fun - thats what its about. I’m good with that. I’m content with that.

TCM: Is there anything you want to say to Quotable Nation?

NSR: I have an EP coming September 1st. Its called the Darling Limited. Its a playoff the Darjeeling Limited the Wes Anderson/Adrien Brody movie which is one of my favorite movies. And essentially what this is is a diverse/serious project that I put out and I almost see it as my darling, as my baby. I mean this has been like a year in the works. At the same time its a limited representation of what I’m doing and I’m already looking forward to the next project. So thats the title of the EP. Its produce exclusively by Turbz (my DJ tonight). And its available for free download at IamNSR.com. For free. September 1st. The Darling Limited. Please man, download it. Tell me you hate it. Tell me you like it. Hopefully you’ll respect it.

Hit NSR at:

iamnsr.com

twitter.com/iamnsr

sonicbids.com/iamnsr