Big Dame
ProtoKhasm
Son Ra
Amriki Aswad
Featured Artist of the Week
The ‘Master Selector’ ProtoKhasm is at it again. Digging’ deep down in the crates. Taking you on a journey.
Enjoy!
Kankick -Laserbeam
Makaya Mccraven – the jaunt
Elzhi Broken Frames
Roc Marciano – Live From Pimpstead
Prince Po – Thang Thang
PeaceTreeD- ElephantREDvelvet
Dibia$e – Soundcheck
Billy Cobham – Heather
Chi Ali – In My Room
ProtoKhasm – quackquack
DJ Abilities -Untitled
N’Dea Davenport – When the Night Falls
Killarmy – Shelter
Normally, as you heard Puerto Rocks/Boriqua brothers rock rhymes or beats, you feel an East Coast vibe. Places like NYC, Philly, Trenton, Newark, Hartford or Boston. What about a nice emcee/beatmaker from Houston? Enter into the world of AGILE!!!
1. What city do you hail from brother? (Son Ra)
I’m originally from Houston, Tx, as well as spending a good portion of my childhood in The Bay Area, Cali. About 50/50 altogether. I reside in H Town now and have been since 2004
2. When did the HIPHOP bug snatch you up? Did you start off bboying, rhyming, deejaying, etc.? (Amriki Aswad)
The Hip Hop bug got me when I was 8 yrs old, 1988, when I heard “My Posse’s on Broadway” by Sir Mix A Lot. Haven’t looked back since. I started off rhyming, I guess, but had no clue what was going on. Always wanted to DJ but my Mom couldn’t afford to get me turntables, so I “shadow” spun on the coffee table. Kids, Imaginations….lol. wrote my first rap when I was 10, and I went by the moniker “MC Nice”. Wow, I guess we were all wack at one point. That name is ridiculous. I still can recite that first rap too. It was about my 5th grade girlfriend dumping me…lmao
3. How has working in Houston and Oakland shaped your sound? (Son Ra)
Growing up, in Houston and the Bay, my sound is heavily present with both regions, i.e. my drawl. It’s like I’m confused when I spit, because I have a bit of a southern twang and I also have that Bay Area, super proper annunciation of certain words. My people in Cali say I sound like I’m from the South and my people down here say I sound like I’m from The West Coast. With my flow, I’ve definitely have taken on more of a laid back, slower, smoother cadence as I have gotten older, but when I was first really rapping, I was in Cali and I had a very rapid delivery. Both places are quite present in my sound, rhyming and with Production. Sprinkle on a bit of styles from everywhere else, so I can have a universal sound, or at least that’s the goal.
4. What things have you learned from the late Jasiri Hutcherson regarding studio management? (Son Ra)
Oh man, Jasiri was my idol, mentor, he was like a big Brother to me. He was 11 yrs older than me, so him and my Uncle Devlin (Dads brother), actually grew up together and we’re best friends. So, Jasiri knew me since I was a baby. Him and my Uncle are 2 of the most extremely talented musicians and artists you would ever see. Unc threw me on the drums at 5, it came natural to me, just started playing and took to it immidiately. I was always around Jasiri, because of my Uncle, while they were doing music, so I just soaked it all in. When I got older and started doing my own music, Jasiri was always looking over me and watching me progress musically, to where it got to the point, that I was worthy enough to get into the studio with him. He pretty much taught me everything I know about recording music. From recording with live instruments (he played guitar,drums,keys and was equally great at them all) and mic placements, to midi and separation of induvidual tracks with my beats, applying plug ins, building my own custom drum kits for the MPC and mixing and mastering. Without him, I wouldn’t be a quarter of what I have become, all around musically. I also was in marching band, jazz band and Symphony band, 6th grade-12th grade, so I learned through that as well and can read music. Overall, Jasiri molded me into a pretty well rounded musician. I still haven’t fully recovered from his passing at the end of 2012, til now and it has taken a huge till on me musically. That’s the impact he had on me. I’ve barely recorded. Helluva a man he was, period.
5. What is a Co Op Recording Studio? (Son Ra)
A Co Op studio, in regards to J7 Studios (Jasiri’s studio) is a project that one of my best friends, Mark “Maleko ” Weisbarth, took on when Jasiri passed. Mark was also a protoge of Jasiri’s as well and very close. He has turned it into a full time recording studio, an art gallery of Jasiri’s art and a place where the local youth can do their artwork at. It is a venue for live music and performences, in which Mark has established a bi monthly concert series called “Moss Beats” (Moss Beach, Ca. Is the name of the town it’s located in) where local artists from hip hop to rock to spoken word induviduals perform and showcase talent. There have also been a few well known acts Mark has booked, because he has been in the Cali Indy scene 15+yrs and has collaborated with countless folks. Hieroglyphics, Members of Project Blowed, Living Legends, amongst others have all performed there as well. It’s Jasiri’s dream, that Mark has brought to fruition, very successfully.
6. If you could sit a recording session with ONE legendary hip hop producer, who would it be? And why? (Butta)
In the studio with one legendary producer. …I can’t pick just one. But, without a doubt, my choices would be DJ Premier, RZA and Dre. I want to know how Dre creates what he does sonically, because it’s ridiculous how great of a sound and ear he has. RZA because, I want to find out how he comes up with the insane shit he does. It’s like trying to crack the DaVinci Code, trying to figure out how he programs some of that stuff. And Primo, just because I want to make beats with him. All neck break music, period
7. How did you link up with the legendary K-Rino from Texas? (Amriki Aswad)
I initially started sending links for beat folders to K Rino’s MySpace inbox and told him I was a huge fan and the beats I sent were his to do whatever with. This was 2007. He hit me back on a couple and was feeling them. Got him 1 track. I’ve been a huge fan of his since like ’93-’94 and was determined to work with him. In 2010, I was filming a performance at a club, that my homies, Antho and Jiggs were doing. I look across the room and I swear I see K Rino. I went and asked my boy Antho and he said, yes it was him. I walked up to him, dapped him up, said I was a huge fan, told him my name. He remembered me from the emails, from 3 yrs earlier, politicked for awhile, exchanged info and that’s it. We have a song ready to record, just have to correlate schedules. He is on the road alot.
8. What future projects do you have coming up? (Amriki Aswad)
Future projects I tentatively have planned, are to release all of my unreleased material over the past 10 yrs. I also still plan on being on various projects with other people as well. I should recording capabilities of my own in the near future, to where I can stay on consistently with music. The past 3-4 yrs, music has taken a back seat to personal business, but I’m ready to get back in the swing of things…
9. Last one……….. Where can people find you on the web and/or social media? (Amriki Aswad)
agilemusic.bandcamp.com
I also have various music all over. From production credit to being featured on other artists work. Google Agile Riddick
When we listen to this brother’s music, one can hear the perfect boom bap, heavy street vibe, mixed in with a consciousness. A hard task to do in these times. Meet the man who’s game for the challenge……..Boodah The Emcee!!!
1. What city do you hail from brother? (Son Ra)
Chicago is the city born & raised on the south side in Englewood area.
2. When did the HIPHOP bug snatch you up? Did you start off bboying, rhyming, deejaying, etc.? (Amriki Aswad)
I was always intrigued & just had a love for music every since a kid, fascinated with my parents record collection(they played music from sun up til sundown on weekends). I got the Hip Hop bug from my older brothers bumping Boogie Down Productions Criminal Minded tape in the house & I was hooked every since. I started out Emceeing at around 9 yrs old trying to out rap everyone older than me(I got ate up a lot too, lol), & that’s pretty much all I’ve done is Emcee until now taking on business role’s with the music.
3. With the everyday violence in Chicago, how do you deliver positive messages in your lyrics and not lose hope?? (Butta)
It’s just in my nature as a person to be optimistic about life itself that the people are going to do better & we are all a work in progress. Those same things come across in my music because I’d like to see positive change in people as well as myself. It’s crazy because along with all the violence in the city it’s also so much beauty in the city that doesn’t get light shined on it, I have a song on the album titled “Beautiful” where I spoke on some of these things.
4. What are your pros and cons of the Chicago Drill movement? (Dejed19)
I’ve come to embrace the youth & the whole Drill thing so as a pro I’d say it’s uniting small batches of young fellas as comrades & even in them doing the music it helps keep the focused ones of the streets doing worst. The main con to it is just like a large majority of artist doing music is it all sounds the same. One thing for sure is that sound has put a light on newer artist emerging from Chicago & it’s sound is being copied all over now. Personally it’s not my thing but I truly respect it.
5. Do you think it’s necessary to leave the city to get more exposure? (Son Ra)
Nowadays exposure is at your fingertips via technology. Yet at the same time no matter where you are on the map be it Chicago, NY, LA, & so on, the larger exposure is in moving around. I’ve heard some well known Chicago artist that even the city didn’t show as much love until other places did.
6.If you could collab on an album with one Chicago Emcee who would it be and Why?(Son Ra)
I’d love to collab with Kanye West. I think we’d create something epic artistically.
7.Half my crew grew up with and went to high school with Marshauwn Cross, producer on your current project. How did you both link up? (Amriki Aswad)
Now I’ve been working with a producer by the name of Dirty Soc(Do or Die, Twista, 3 Piece, etc) for long time now & while working on my album he said I needed that Hip Hop element of producer & told me that I would love his guy Marshauwn. He called him that day & we just fit off top. We started working immediately and come to find out I was the 1st Emcee to ever rap on any of his beats
8. What future projects do you have coming up? (Amriki Aswad)
Currently working on a new album that I’m planning on dropping in the fall season or earlier. It’s a Mixtape in the works that I will have mixed up in sections by a few different DJ’s. It will also be a slew of singles & freestyles dropping soon.
9. Last one……….. Where can people find you on the web and/or social media? (Amriki Aswad)
I can be found on all social media Boodah the Emcee, @boodahtheemcee & the Publishing companies website will be active soon at http://www.sphhiphop.com
Amriki Aswad – Switch It Up by Da Fam Immediate #np on #SoundCloud
This sister is a RHYME GODDESS!!!
Listen to the message!
