about it Arial, sans-serif; margin:0; padding: 3px 4px; color:#999;”>MIXTAPE 142 – STAYING OCCUPIED by Mixtape Show / Dex Digital on Mixcloud

or
download this episode

INTROLUDE. Knxwledge. – Kafe @Knxwledge
5lack/Slack – ????
Hodgy Beats – Memorex Cds @killhodgy
Rimco – Chrono Trigger ‘Winds of Time’ OC Remix
Sticky – Where’s My Money
Snubnose Frankenstein – The 6th Man @ snubdogg
Key – KeyKey @keiopensdoors
OUTROLUDE. Holy Girl – How to Stay on the Ground (demo clip)

things changed radically for me in some ways and stayed the same in others. we must protect lil b at all costs. thanks to those who waited.

ham-R.

日本語ラップ・ファン、いや、日本の音楽の最先端に興味のある人ならこの名前を知らない人は多分いないと思う。だが、知られているのは名前と音楽だけで、他の事は謎が多い。映像を作るが滅多に画面に顔を出さない。いろんなところで話題になるが自分から自分の話はしないし、インタビューに滅多に答えないらしい。ツイッターはつかわない。ブログは１年前から放置状態。数ヶ月以内に４本ものミックステープを出し、また姿を消す。考えてみれば、それは２年前の話だ。

そう、突然STAY HUNGRY STAY FOOLISHを発表してから既に２年も経っているが、今聞いてもやばい（ご本人の意見はさておき）。

この一連の作品に圧倒され、アルバムに期待していた人は多いはず。わたしもそのひとりだった。

しかし、２年たってもアルバム出ないし、曲も出ない。いったい、ham-rはいま何している？

ということで、本人に６つほどの質問を質疑応答形式で訊いてみた。これはもともとアメリカの雑誌の取材のために行われたインタビューなので、質問は若干「海外視点」になっているかもしれない。ただ、読み返してみたら興味深いものがあったので、本人の許可を得てここにもアップさせていただきました。

まずは簡単な自己紹介をお願いします（出身、趣味、ラップ・プロデュースするようになったキッカケなど）

創作活動時の名をham-Rと申します。東京出身。趣味は特にございません。幼少時より映画監督になりたくて、映画に必要な要素を片っ端から習得しようとしたのが音楽活動のキッカケです。長年絵を描いていて芸術全般を勉強していたのですが、20歳位の時に音楽の制作も始めました。その流れで制作会社を立ち上げたり、PV監督を務めたりと、現在も映画を撮るための準備段階にあるような未熟者です。

僕の印象なんだけど、日本語ラップってここ3年までは、オンラインで、しかも無料の作品を出すのはあまり普通ではなかった。でもたとえばアメリカでは、かなり前から、ネットでミックステープを宣伝のツールとしてタダで出すのが当たり前になっています。そのギャップはどこからきたと思います？

なかなか難しい質問です。
日本の国民性は根本的に外来のものに対して閉鎖的なので、おそらくそれが本質的な要因でしょう。島国、小さな国土・高い人口密度であることによって国民の「安定性」に対する欲求が非常に強いので、本来大きな変化を受け入れる体質ではありません。クリエイター・アーティスト単位で言及すると、バイタリティーの低さ、それによる新しいネットインフラに対する認識の甘さが一因なのではないでしょうか。クリエイター・アーティストを支えるサポート側、いわゆる業界の人間というのは既存のシステムから逸脱することを嫌います。短期的には見込める収益を欠くのでプロモーションといえどなかなかフリーコンテンツを扱うインフラを整えようとは考えないものです。それは海外でも同様でしょう。
つまりプロモーションにも関わらず、クリエイター・アーティスト側が自ら動かなければ、「ネットを利用しプロモーションとしてフリーツールを展開する」という概念は発生しない訳です。
ただ、上記の国民性によるものなのか、日本のクリエイター・アーティストの間で、それがなかなか発生しませんでした。直接的なギャップをもたらした原因はそこにあるのかもしれません。

まえ、日本人はパソコンをあまり使わなくてむしろ携帯でネット・メールするとか、という話をした記憶があるんだけど、それも関与していると思います？

携帯の話は、いわゆるガラパゴス化現象を説明したかったのだと思います。ガラパゴス化が世界からの孤立化を招き様々な弊害を各方面に及ぼしていましたが、独自のネット自体は存在していましたし、ユニークな文化を形成できた一面もあるので、必ずしも大きな要因とは言えないかもしれません。

ミックステープの質問の続きですが、早い段階から無料でミックステープを出してた人として、当時の考えについて少し教えてください。

2009年、「A Day On The Way」という最初のミックステープを我が社から発表しました。当時僕の部下だったDJ UWAYこと現ユニバーサルミュージックA&R三上氏と考えていたのは形式の輸入です。質問1にあるような概念を日本で流布する簡単なきっかけ作りをしようとしたのです。三上氏が元々本場アトランタでDJとして活動していてサウスシーンに詳しかったので、内容もDJ DRAMAのGangsta Grillzを日本語で展開する様な設定でプロデュースしました。ただその概念の普及には時間がかかると思いましたし、普及してもすぐに形骸化するだろうという予想を当時から二人でしていました。

両シーンに詳しい人として、今の日本のミックステープの文化や、シーン全体について、海外の人に知ってほしいことなどをきかせてください。

特に今の日本のミックステープの文化や、シーン全体に詳しい訳ではないのですが、既述の予想通り、日本のミックステープシーン自体は形骸化してしまったように見えます。海外の方々にとって真新しいほどの現象は起きていないのではないでしょうか。日本において、シーンとは市場ではなくコミュニティーの様相を帯びています。そこに競争原理が働かなければ、シーンとして海外に紹介出来るほど成熟することは不可能でしょう。また、より的確に作品を理解し、解釈、体系化できる評論家も必要でしょう。

そんな中、シーンと呼べるのかわかりませんが、ニコニコ動画がやはり面白いです。
二次使用の面白さが特筆されがちですが、アマチュアクリエイターのプラットフォームとして、海外のどのサイトと比べても非常に優れていると思います。supercellの活躍は優れた一例なのではないでしょうか。ただし、体系化が難しく、不完全さとかなり限定された趣向が好まれるので。、まだその意味合いを海外に説明するのは難しいかもしれません。

特に影響を受けたアーティストを5人ほどあげるならば、誰かいます？

Hans Zimmer, apoplexy
D’angelo, health
Trevor Horn, view
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky,Jimi Hendrix,Skreamなどでしょうか。正直、挙げたらきりがないです。日本では中島みゆきの詩の世界に非常に感銘を受けました。

今注目している日本語ラップのアーティストは？
昔から日本語ラップをほとんど聴かないので何とも言えませんが、日本の他のジャンルを見渡しても、Cherry Brownは唯一オリジナリティーがあって面白いアーティストだと思います。それこそ、日本におけるフリープロモーションに関しては彼が先駆者です。彼が的確に動けば、もう少し意義のあるコンテクストを内包した文化が形成されると思います。

ham-rのことを全く知らない、でもラップは好き、という人に、一番オススメな曲は？ミックステープは？
私の今までの作品は実験的で、全て数日で制作した非常にお粗末な物なのでお勧めも特にございません。
来年におそらく最初で最後のアルバムを発表できると思いますが、是非そちらをお楽しみ頂けたらと思います。

MIXTAPE 71 – FEATURE – IMUS, drugs STOP SNITCHING, AND RAP

This is not a simple interview, and it’s definitely not just another episode. This is an hourlong (!) special on the state of hip-hop in the media today.

This special covers everything from the Imus-inspired backlash on Hip-hop to sexism/racism in the media to the Stop Snitching ‘movement” to the number of people that actually dictate what videos get played on BET and subsequently MTV (hint: it’s less than four).

During the last few weeks, Hip-Hop has been under serious fire from the mainstream media – not only because of the backlash following Don Imus’ termination, but the more recent 60 minutes interview featuring Cam’ron and Anderson Cooper’s interpretation of the Stop Snitching mantra. So in order to bring some clarity to the situation, I spoke to several different community leaders, all of different backgrounds.

Aishah Simmons – An African-American feminist and activist documentary filmmaker, producer of the award-winning No!: The Rape Documentary, and perhaps best known to longtime listeners of the Mixtape Show as the older sister of Atlantic Recording artist DJ Drama (previously interviewed here).

John Robinson – also known as Lil Sci – a producer, MC, and President of Shaman Work Recordings, which has put out releases from artists such as Emanon, CL Smooth, and MF Doom.

Willie D – a solo artist and core member of one of the most influential rap groups to ever come out of the South, the Geto Boys.

Davey D – Hip-hop historian, journalist, deejay, and community activist, whose website, Davey-D’s Hip-Hop Corner, is one of the oldest and most respected Hip-Hop sites on the net.

and David K Far-El – aka D-Brad, the former producer for BET’s Rap City and the creator of Spring Bling. He was fired some time after Viacom’s buyout of BET and is currently working on a book and DVD exposing the commodification of the nation’s biggest outlet and representation of Black and Hip-Hop culture.

I encourage everyone to listen to this feature, pass it on (messageboards, myspace, wherever), and continue the discussion both here in the comments and elsewhere. Or hell, request this on your local community station (see below).

So, yeah. What do you think? Hit the comments section.

Oh, and here’s the information on the instrumentals featured in this show:
Sun.NY – Soul of a Hustler
Common – The Light feat Erykah Badu
Lords Of The Underground – Tic-Toc
Goodie Mobb – Black Ice feat Outkast
Dead Prez – Hip-Hop
Black Star – Children’s Story
Naughty By Nature – Mourn You Till I Join You

MIXTAPE 58 – AISHAH SIMMONS INTERVIEW on DJ DRAMA / CANNON ARREST

What’s good. So by now many of you have heard of the 16th January arrest of DJ Drama and DJ Cannon on racketeering charges, discount for nothing more than putting out a popular series of artist-(and generally, rehabilitation label-) sanctioned mixtapes. And while this event may very well have chilling effects on the industry and the way we get music, I think it’s important to not overlook some of the fundamental issues behind this event: the refusal of an industry to let its originators – artists and businesspeople of Color – to create and market our own art on our own terms.

Fortunately one of the first people to speak out against this arrest and its justifications was DJ Drama’s own sister, Aishah Shahidah Simmons, who penned an editorial that appeared, among other places, on allhiphop.com. We managed to connect a little while ago, and what resulted is the interview you are about to listen to here.

And as Aishah mentioned in the interview, one of the first, best, and easiest ways to do something about this is to let your voice be heard.

Here’s the contact information for the RIAA in case you want to reach out and touch somebody:

RIAA Contact Information*
Mitch Bainwol: Chairman and CEO of the RIAA
mbainwol@riaa.com

Cary Sherman: President of the RIAA
csherman@riaa.com

Matthew Kilgo, the person who oversaw the raid (as seen on this newscast).
mkilgo@riaa.com

or the default address: webmaster@riaa.com

RIAA Phone Lines
These phone numbers are guaranteed to work:
RIAA Headquarters – (202) 775-0101
RIAA Miami Offices – (305) 444-3114 extension 11

Again – your purchasing power pays these people’s salaries, so you have a right to voice your opinion about how your music is made available.

As always, feel free to link this site up, direct link to the

You can learn more about Aishah Simmons, including her acclaimed documentary, NO!, at her personal site, myspace.com/afrolez. Aishah, again, thanks for your time and insight.

Well, that’s enough troublemaking from me for today. Let me know how you felt this episode. And of course, the MTSN phone lines are always open – (310) 928 MTSN. Peace.

And also, shoutouts to the artists whose instrumentals contributed to this episode as well:
J Dilla – Over The Breaks
Smif N Wessun – Like A Champion
Clan Destined – The Language
Brother Ali – Original King
Kenny Keys – Untitled
Black Milk – Say Something
P.O.S. – Broken Hearts Club (damn!)

Also, please bear in mind that all comments made here by me are mine and mine alone – neither Aishah Simmons nor any member of the Aphilliates Music Group have anything to do with what I say or post on this site.

* Since the RIAA site doesn’t give out any contact information whatsoever on their site other than the webmaster email, these email addresses are the result of deduction and other trickery – so they may or may not be read. The webmaster one, however, and the phone numbers are a sure bet. Just don’t tell ‘em your favorite hip-hop podcast sent you.

MIXTAPE EPISODE 48 – EULORHYTHMICS INTERVIEW

Shit y’all, about it I’m sorry. I know I’m late with this one, infertility but I have a good reason – I’m in motherfucking Guangdong, China right now. Shit is serious out here.

Anyway, this week we have what is right up there with the last one as one of my favorite interviews ever on this site. MC Adad of Eulorhythmics and yours truly chop it up on the group’s humble origins in Chicago, their weird-ass overseas deal, the mystery behind “Haterville” as described by Mixtape Show alum Longshot, and other shit.

If you’ve been listening to the show recently, you know that I have been steady pushing Eulo’s debut joint, and this exclusive-ass interview will give you some insight on the men behind the music. And as usual, extra super exclusive-ass beats from Kenny Keys, the production mastermind in the duo. Even if you don’t understand English, just listen to the pretty music behind us dudes talking. Holler in the comments and let me (and them) know how you feel it.

MIXTAPE SHOW 39 – Thes One Interview

Happy goddamn memorial day. Maybe this year they’ll remember to stop sending motherfuckers to go die in the desert.

This week, viagra as promised back in episode #37 (seriously, and go check that one or you’re missing out), physiotherapy I’ve got an exclusive (exclusive!!!) interview with Thes One of People Under The Stairs. Basically the interview speaks for itself, but you can expect to hear Thes breaking it down on the new album, his approach to beatmaking on Stepfather, how ridiculous all them punk-ass kids running round calling themselves CEOs and A&Rs really are, and what he thinks about bootlegging.

If you’re one of those people that tried to download the new PUTS joint online in April and instead got a recording of Thes reading the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, you might want to listen to this to see why you got that.

And as a special bonus, I threw in a bunch of questions posed to Thes by members of the PUTS Online forum.

As usual, these joints aren’t possible without the support of probably five extra people, so shouts and thanks go to Thes One himself and Paul of Basement Records for helping coordinate schedules and shit. Thanks as well to the community at putsonline.co.uk.

All beats in this show are off of the new Stepfather album, so if you like what you hear, you can go cop the record maybe – which, incidentally, if you’re planning on throwing or attending any kind of outdoor kickback this summer, you can’t really afford to be without. Instant summer pool party soundtrack.

More info available at putsonline.co.uk, and also basementhiphop.com.

MIXTAPE 26 – LONGSHOT INTERVIEW

Episode 25! It’s been a while. I’m glad I have you all in my life.

This episode features MC Longshot, prescription who has been previously featured in mixtape show episode 21. For those of y’all that have been sleeping, dude is from Chicago, and definitely reps his city something fierce.


The reason I hit up Shot for the interview is twofold: First, he’s been building up a lot of buzz in his hometown, and I keep hearing his name come up. Second, I was pretty impressed with his newest release, Civil War Pt. 2, which is “an album…a movie, a mixtape…a movement, man!” ( (c) Longshot 2006).

Seriously though, it’s damn near the hottest thing that has graced my Volvo’s CD deck in a few months, and beats the fuck out of whatever wack shit you you were listening to in 2005. 31 tracks, over 40 artists, and basically a lot of fucking talent, with Longshot to tie it all together.

In this interview, Longshot breaks down his name, his past, the inspiration behind his poetry (he released a book of poetry before he ever released any albums), the politics of his city, and of course, the Civil War pt. 2 mixtape itself. He also gives us an update on the upcoming Coppershot album (which Chess is mastering as you read), which sounds pretty fucking hot (ETA: March/April).

If you’ve heard the record, you know that Longshot gets on some deep type shit from time to time, and that also comes out in the interview. We also talk about the messages behind a lot of his joints, and suffice to say that Shot has a lot of good things to say.

Basically, this is a good interview. Listen to it.

Respect goes to Longshot and Chester Copperpot at EV Productions.

listen/subscribe in !

MIXTAPE SHOW EPISODE 24 – Che Grand interview

So if you’ve been paying attention to what’s good on the internets, information pills and more specifically to the mixtape show, viagra dosage you’ll recognize the name: Che Grand. In case you need to refresh your memory, you can go ahead and check out episode 18 to check out his mixtape show debut.

Anyway, after that show dropped, I had more than a few people getting at me requesting more songs and information from dude, so it was only natural that we should link up and get an interview done. In this interview, Che breaks down his background, explains how he changed his name from “Ricochet” to “Che Grand”, talks about his soon-to-be-released EP and his upcoming projects, and makes a pretty thinly veiled threat towards me regarding one of my earlier comments. For the record, Brown Study is not about having sex with white girls. If you want any more information than that, you’ll need to check out the interview yourself.

All instrumentals on the joint are either from his current EP or upcoming projects – so you’re gonna hear some beats on here that you will not be hearing for another few months – at least until Conceptus Opus drops. That’s on some exclusive shit, so you definitely need to get up on this before you get left behind.

Che and company are gonna do big things, so I want y’all to remember that you saw him here first. Shouts go to everyone in Loud Minority involved with the Official Bootleg Import EP project (drops 24th January in iTunes and online stores everywhere!), and obviously to Che himself.

If you need any more info on Che or Loud Minority, check out chegrand.com and loudminoritymusic.com.

Stay tuned, major things happening right here in this spot very soon….

Use the link below to subscribe to this hip-hop podcast in iTunes and never miss an episode of the mixtape show. It’s free, bastards:


one-click iTunes subscription! don’t hate

MIXTAPE SHOW EPISODE 17 – doujah raze interview

Those of you that remember the first show we ever came at yall kids with started with a track called “Spinmata”, approved by a dude called Doujah Raze – which incidentally was given to me on a burned CD by Damon, recipe who’s down with Faculty…anyway, enough backstory. So I’ve been hearing dude’s name thrown around more and more recently, and when dude’s compadres came round asking about interviews, I figured I’d catch up with him and see what’s happening.

So yeah, check out the interview. There’s also a track in there at the end – Plastic World, with Shuko on production. All instrumentals are off of Doujah’s upcoming self-titled release.

Shouts to Doujah and everyone at Trilogy (Double J, I see you) for making this thang happen. You can check Doujah out at doujahraze.com.

Damn it, ish has been busy round here. Some major changes coming round, y’all, shit you don’t even expect yet. Stay tuned.

(but if you’d rather hear the audio version, check it here).

So, with that said, here is the long-awaited, slightly manipulated, text version of the interview with Young Hootie.

Young Hootie Interview Part 1 of 2
Conducted by dex digital of the Mixtape Show Hip-Hop Podcast
Full audio interview available at www.mixtapeshow.net

Mixtape Show: Go ahead and introduce yourself, man.

Young Hootie: Yeah, this is Young Hootie. Larceny Entertainment, Heatline, what’s goin on.

MS: So where you at right now?

YH: I’m in Atlanta, man. Actually I’m getting a haircut right now.

MS: Right now right now?

YH: Yeah. Time management is a mufucca, I gotta do two things at once…(laughs).

MS: All right, so let’s just start from the beginning man – how did you come up, what’s your background, you know, all that information.

YH: All right. Basically, man, I’m from Compton, California. I grew up in a red neighborhood, if you know what I mean. I got into rap…probably about 2001, and was basically just expressing my feelings on records, you know? I found out it was a good way to get things off my chest, ‘cause I’m usually a laid back kinda dude, you know what I’m saying?

And you know, my brother went to jail when I was 14 years old, so that was a big thing in my life, so all of these things built inside of me as far as pain wise, and I just used to get it out on wax, and, yeah, here we are today.

MS: So let’s go back a bit though, when you were coming up, who would you say inspired you?

YH: Oh, definitely DJ Quik. Quik was big, man. As far as in my neighborhood – he’s like a hood star. I seen dude perform on my block at a block party in like ’92. Suge and everybody was there, you know, Danny Boy – and Quik just jumped up on the truck and go the mic and was just going crazy, and I’m like that nigga Quick is that nigga, you know what I’m saying? So as I got older I started getting into the Jay-Zs and the Nas’, of course, and of course Pac was real big, cause I felt like he was speaking to my situation. A lot of things he was talking about, I was going through.

MS: What do you mean?

YH: Oh, well, you know how Pac spoke about his mother and the struggles she was having – and my mother, she was having the same type of struggles. And some of the things he was feeling about that, I’d be feeling too. It was like whoa, man – it was like dude was talking about me, you know what I’m saying? So he would talk about his situation, and I could identify with that fully. And he just had so much passion, and you could feel it on records. So that’s definitely my favorite artist, ever.

MS: So you said you started in 2001 – that’s not that long ago, man.

YH: Yeah, that’s like end of 11th grade, going into 12th grade – probably 12th grade was when I first started going into the studio.

MS: Tell me about that first studio experience.

YH: Ahh, that was crazy, man. My heart was beating, I got in the booth – I spit a verse, and niggas was feeling it! You never know, man, I mean, you could be wack, and niggas would laugh at you, and that would be the worst feeling ever! (laughs). But I got in there man, and I spit that first 16, I came up with the best shit I could come up with at the time. So niggas burnt it up, and it was all around the hood. And niggas was like “Yo Hootie, I heard that, nigga, that shit was hard!” And niggas was saying lyrics back to me. And I was like whoa, cause that’s the craziest thing, you come up with something in your head and somebody’s saying it back to you and thinks it’s tight. So I was like yeah, this is what I need to be doing right here.

MS: And wasn’t that first studio somebody’s house or something like that?

YH: Yeah. You know California is crazy man, niggas got home studios all around. It was like one of them garage studio type of situations.

MS: So this was an after school thing, you probably still had to study, right?

YH: Yeah, this was senior year of high school, and this teacher, man, he’d got me like motivated to go to school. ‘Cause you know, in high school, I was really into gangbanging and stuff, but teachers would always tell me I was a bright dude. So this dude named Stanley Johnson, one of my teachers, was like, man, you wanna go to Morehouse? And I’m like man, I couldn’t get into Morehouse, you’re crazy! But he told me I could do it, so we was working it out. So I’d be taking my books over to the studio, I’d study, you know, this was senior year, so I was studying for my SATs, and I’d do what I needed to do, and then get in the booth, and it was on.

MS: So how did things start to jump off for you after that? You’re with Larceny Entertainment now…

YH: Yeah, I’m with Larceny.

MS: So how did that all work out?

YH: Well, as I was doing those songs and getting my name up in the hood, and going into other studios, and me, you know, I’m always thinking. So I’m keeping them joints on CDs. And then I went to school at Morehouse down in Atlanta, and I bought a computer. And I ran into my boy Jerz, we met like first week of school, and he made beats. So me and dude, we invested in some studio equipment, and we just started cutting joints, and I kept the old joints I had made at home, and I just started putting out mixtapes, you know what I mean? I had like a “Street Life” series going, so I put out Volume 1, which was real small, I ain’t do a lot of copies, but that was in my hood, niggas listened to it. Then I put out Volume 2, I put a lot more bread into that because I seemed to have something going, you feel me? So I pressed up a gang of posters and CDs, and when I came home from Atlanta that time, I just hit the block running. And Mark Breezy from Larceny, he was seeing my posters. And they was all over – I was up at like 4 in the morning…

MS: Four? Damn…

YH: Yeah, I didn’t stop, dog. And the reason I was up at like 4 in the morning was, I wanted to go to like every hood in Compton. And you know, I got enemies in Compton. So I can’t be going through they hood at like 1 PM, man, cause they gonna be on my ass! (laughs). So at like four in the morning, I figure anybody who stays up late, stays up to like 2-3 AM getting drunk, and they go home and go to sleep. 4 in the morning, it’s pretty much neutral, you know what I’m saying? (laughs). So at 4, I get myself over there, I got my staple gun, and me and my nigga Eddie, we would just hit the block, man. I was all over the city, man, everybody was seeing me. Niggas would have my number, they was calling me, wanting to know what was going on, and I was like I’m on to something!

It’s funny, though, cause at the same time, I hit DJ Warrior up. I had wanted to get on one of his tapes, cause he’s supposed to be like the West Coast mixtape dude.

MS: Yeah, man, DJ Warrior, definitely.

YH: Yeah, so I had wanted to get on that, man. Anything I saw, man, you know, I tried to tackle it. So I hit dude up, and I guess TK from Larceny had been doing all of his marketing, and Warrior was like okay, hit up TK. So I sent TK my stuff, and TK’s like okay, this dude got some rough talent. So at the same time, he and Mark Breezy had been forming Larceny Entertainment. So between Breezy seeing my snipes and TK already having my music, it was already a wrap, so they wanted to fuck wit your boy. So it was just a beautiful situation, everything worked out.

MS: Yeah. So your first project, that was your Young Compton mixtape, right?

YH: Yeah, I look at that as my debut. That was like my first real thing, you know what I mean?

MS: Yeah – so where can people get that?

YH: Aw, you can get that all over. It’s all over the internet, all over the streets of Compton, in swap meets, you can go to LarcenyEntertainment.com and get some more information.

MS: Yeah, about swap meets – I remember hearing you on the radio a while ago and you had been saying that you had seen people selling your CD at the swap meet. But you weren’t selling it, were you?

YH: Aw, that CD, that was basically like a gift to the streets. That Young Compton CD was free. You know, the swap meets, they getting they money off it. But I found out niggas was bootleggin my shit all over. And that was like…it’s a good thing and a bad thing. Because at first, it’s a compliment, you know what I’m saying? I’m a new artist, nobody knows who I am. So if my shit is that hot in the streets to where niggas feel like they can make bread off of it, that’s what’s up. But at the same time, you know, they bootleggin your boy! (laughs)

MS: Yeah, but at first, it’s gotta feel kinda good though.

YH: Yeah, you know, exactly. I mean, I don’t know about my company’s standpoint, but as an artist, that felt good, that niggas was fuckin’ with me like that. My shit was that hot. My name is good in the hood right now, so it’s a lovely thing.

MS: So you mentioned LarcenyEntertainment.com. Is that probably the best place to get at you, you know, if a fan wants to hit you up or something like that?

YH: Yeah, LarcenyEntertainment.com. I mean, I’m all over the net right now. You search “Young Hootie”, you’re gonna find some shit. But LarcenyEntertainment.com, that’s the home for your boy, man. You can get info there, you can email, all that type of shit, you know. I holler at the fans.

MS: Right. So what should people be on the lookout for then?

YH: Aw, I got Prince of the Bity coming soon, man. Like, Young Compton, that was basically the introduction to me, you know what I mean? Like, I gave you Compton from a young nigga’s perspective, you feel me? So I took niggas on missions with me, I let you read a letter to my brother, you know, young niggas in Compton is really going through that type of shit. So that was the whole theme of the tape, and I thank God that it was received well. People really fell in love with it. But the Prince of the Bity is next, right, and that’s really where I’m showing niggas that I’m a factor on the West Coast. As far as lyrically, as far as appeal, as far as whatever, you know what I’m saying, I’m a factor on the Coast, and I feel like there ain’t too many niggas out there fuckin’ with me, as far as this rap shit. And not just rap, I’m talking about the total package. So be on the lookout for your boy.

Part II!

Mixtape Show: All right, let’s just start it off from the jump. People have been talking about this “New West” thing for a minute. What’s that all about?

Young Hootie: Well, basically, you know, it’s like…the West, man, we been down for a minute. All the other regions, they been doing their thing, and it’s beautiful, it gotta go everywhere. But it’s coming back to the West Coast. It’s like a renaissance going on or some type of shit, man. And it’s a lot of niggas out there that’s doing they thing. They got the situations, the appeal, the spitting ability to really make it in the mainstream and make some noise, and bring the West back, you feel me?

MS: Right.

YH: So that’s basically the New West movement. Not to disrespect none of the legends, we respect them to the utmost, but it’s like it’s the new West Coast, and we’re here, you feel me? So that’s basically what that is, man.

MS: So you’re trying to be a part of that as well?

YH: I’m instrumental in that movement already! It’s not what I want, it’s already what it is, know what I’m saying? It’s basically like me putting out my tapes, and me doing my thing, niggas are looking at me like I’m one of the dudes on West Coast though. Whether or not I like it, I’m part of the new West movement, so I’m basically embracing it, feel me?

MS: Right. So we talked about the response to Young Compton the mixtape a while back. That was available on the internet as a download and all that. Do you know how many downloads you all got from that?

YH: Aw, it’d be impossible for me to track how many units we moved of that thing, man. It’s just like I didn’t even expect the response that we got from that, feel me? I mean, it wowed me, man. I’m getting so many looks, industry looks, street looks, it’s like, it’s not a one-sided tape as far as the response I got. A lot of niggas, they might put out something, you might get street love and no industry love. Or you might put something out and get industry love and no street love, feel me? But my tape, man, it was received by everybody, man, so that was basically a blessing from God for me. I loved it.

MS: Yeah, cause that’s the tape that got you featured in The Source, basically.

YH: Right. And that’s the tape that got me where I’m at – and this is off mixtapes. Who on the West Coast is putting out mixtapes, know what I mean, and getting in the Source and doing all that, you feel me? Young Hootie.

MS: There you go. So speaking of the whole West thing, I know you’ve been getting a lot of love from WestSideRap.com. What’s been your relationship with them?

YH: Aw, man, Larceny Entertainment got a lot of love for WestSideRap.com, let me say that. Because…they not not dick-rider site, you feel me? They fucked with me from the first time they had a chance to get a whiff of Young Hootie, just based on my talent. You know how the industry is, man, it’s a dick-riding game, you gotta deal with it. But they fucked with me just on the strength of my music, and the movement we had going on – they saw it early, and we got love for them, you feel me?

MS: Since we’re talking about WestSideRap.com, I’ve been seeing Larceny Entertainment doing a lot of things on this new media kind of thing. How is your marketing game working on the internet and whatnot?

YH: The internet been great to me, man. I got a lot of people on the internet that are showing me love. So I got street love, but the internet’s showing me a whole lot of love – it’s like people from other countries, other regions, that get a chance to figure out who Young Hootie is, know what I’m saying? Even before I’m signing a major deal. Know what I’m saying? It’s like, I’m not even signed to a major, and it’s dudes that are on major labels that don’t get love like me on the internet. So the internet been good to me, dog.

MS: Have there been any areas that kinda surprised you, that were digging your stuff?

YH: Yeah, like England, man, I think I got some love in South Africa, Australia, just people hitting us up, and wanting to get stuff, and man, it’s just been wild. I’m just along for the ride, man, I’m just taking a ride (laughs).

MS: Speaking of a ride, man, it’s been a hell of a ride for you recently. I mean, Whoo Kid, Sirius, talk to me about that.

YH: Yeah, like I said, I’m just here for the ride. I mean, Whoo Kid, they took notice over there, man, and they fuckin’ with your boy, I feel like I’m one of them dudes on the West Coast. And also I heard that Whoo Kid feels like it’s coming back for the West Cosat, know what I’m saying, so it’s not just us on the West Coast talking like we coming back, know what I’m saying? Niggas know what’s happening! So I’m one of the dudes that’s instrumental in the movement, and Whoo Kid took notice. It’s all love – shoutouts to Lil’ Shawn, my boy El Dorado Red, and it’s all good, man.

MS: And you can be heard on XM Channel 66: The City, right?

YH: Yeah, yeah, man. XM radio, they showing me some love too, man, like I guess I got this two hour spotlight on there. Some dude hit me up about it, just off the strength of my music and the movement we got going on, they wanted to connect with us. So that’s another thing that was all love for me, man.

MS: Yeah. So there’s a mixtape that Whoo Kid’s working on as well, right?

YH: Yeah, if I’m not mistaken, it’s a West Coast mixtape.

MS: Yeah, the “New West Movement”, something like that…

YH: Right, right. And so I got a spot on there. And you know, that’s big, man. Let me stress that to everybody out there reading this interview. That’s real big. Whoo Kid, as far as the mixtape scene, come on, man. That nigga’s one of the…he’s hopping out of Bentleys on them niggas out there (laughs). You know what I’m saying? He’s that dude out there, so for dude to show me love, like he’s feeling me, man, I appreciate it.

MS: Yeah, you know when that’s coming out?

YH: Man, I have no idea. Soon, though.

MS: Yeah, that’s what I had heard. So let’s talk producers, man, what producers you worked with?

YH: Aw, man, producers… Let me see. See, cause I don’t really want to let the cat out of the bag, cause I got joints, man. This joint we been working on, Destroy and Rebuild, I just wanna let the people know, it’s gonna be my debut album. Like Prince of the Bity, it’s coming out. That’s my next mixtape. And anybody who heard of Young Hootie’s mixtape will tell you, my mixtapes is like albums, man. Know what I’m saying? But Destroy and Rebuild is gonna be that thing, we looking at 2006, it’s gonna come out on a major and everything is gonna be love, so…I don’t really wanna let the cat out the bag, but…I got some producers on that thing, man, it’s gonna be hot.

MS: It’s all good, we can let people wait for it. So Prince of the Bity, man, when’s that coming out?

YH: Prince of the Bity is definitely coming out in September, man. I think we’re looking at late September. And that shit is gonna be crazy, man, I’m telling you.

MS: So what’s the concept behind it? I know that Young Compton had a concept, you know, that was obvious. What’s Prince of the Bity about?

YH: Yeah man, that’s what we do over there at Larceny, man, we got that quality control. We put out a mixtape and it’s not just me going in the booth, doing a whole lot of rapping and putting shit out. Everything is calculated. So Prince of the Bity, like I told you, Young Compton was like an introduction. So now Prince of the Bity, I’m showing niggas that I’m one of the niggas on the Coast, I’m next up, you feel me? I’m like, man, I feel like ain’t nobody can fuck with me, really, know what I’m saying? But I got my niggas in the rap game, no disrespect to none of my niggas, but I feel like I’m one of them niggas over there, so Prince of the Bity is that.

And not to disrespect none of the Crips out there that’s doing they thing, when I say Prince of the Bity, you feel me? That’s just like, it’s like Spider-Loc putting the “Loc” at the end of his name, you know? That’s just real niggas representing where they from. So everybody knows what side I’m from. And I’m just giving you the reality of where I’m from. Prince of the Bity. That’s what it is. So any Crips out there, feel free to call me Prince of the City if you like (laughs).

MS: So while we’re on that, man, you’ve been getting a bit of a label, the whole “gangster rapper” label.

YH: Right.

MS: I mean like it or not, being real…how do you feel about that?

YH: I…I guess it is what it is, ‘cause I’m from Compton, and I dealt with the gangbanging, a lot of my subject matter deals with the gangbanging. So if I’m labeled as a gangster rapper, it is what it is, but I definitely have other dimensions to me and my character, and that’s gonna be expressed on wax too because I’m not one of these dudes that has a manufactured image. What you getting from Young Hootie is what you getting, it’s me. So a part of me is a gangster, man. I mean, I’m from a hood in Compton. But I got different parts of me, and people are gonna be able to see that, and be able to get in touch with my character as my career goes on. So for now, if you wanna call me a gangster rapper, I don’t mind, man, it’s nothing.

MS: So there’s other things going on with you, then.

YH: Oh, yeah, man, people are definitely gonna get a chance to see that, man, as my career progresses. They gonna get a chance to see who Young Hootie is. Cause I’m a unique type of guy, man, and it’s gonna be expressed through my music, and in any other outlets fans choose to get in touch with me, you know what I’m saying?

MS: Yeah, so we gonna see some of that on Prince of the Bity? Cause I know that we saw some of that on Young Compton, too.

YH: Right, right, right. It’s just me, like when I do my music, it just comes from my heart, so whatever comes out, that’s what you’re getting. It ain’t like T.K. and Breezy is telling me to do this or do that, know what I’m saying? Everything is organic over here, and that’s why I think it’s been received so well. Cause a lot of people…like the West ain’t been poppin’ for so long, man, people are trying to get that one formula down, trying to do this or do that. I’m doing Young Hootie, man, and if you like it, you like it, and if you hate it, you hate it, that’s you, man. This is me, though.

MS: Yeah. So let’s talk about some of this DVD stuff, man.

YH: Right, right, I got some of that DVD shit, man. People gonna get a surprise, when the DVD come out. Cause I mean, we do street videos, nobody out there doing that. And that’s really what’s going on, man, like it ain’t no set. So fans is really gonna get a chance to really see what’s going on with Young Hootie, man. The DVD is gonna be poppin’, we got street videos on there, we got a lot of footage, and we gonna get more footage for it, from Atlanta and around the country, man. NYC, everywhere. The DVD’s gonna be poppin’.

MS: Right. So you’re also gonna be on QD3’s next Beef…

YH: Yeah, my boy QD3’s showing me some love. He feels like I’m one of them dudes over there, so that was definitely a good look.

MS: And then Smack, and what’s up with this Daddy Bill?

YH: Oh yeah, that’s like our director at Larceny.

MS: He was Director of the Year at New York Film Academy, right?

YH: Yeah, man, and he does other work, and he works for Larceny, he’s with the movement. So that’s like our in-house director, that’s my nigga.

MS: So what’s the project, is that gonna be a video, is that gonna be a film, what is that?

YH: Aw, we workin on all types of shit, man. I mean, we got Director of the Year over there. So our minds just get creative, and we just run with stuff. So that’s why I got a lot of videos poppin’, we got a whole lot of other shit poppin’ at the same time. It’s gonna be a beautiful thing.

MS: So we done touched on most of this stuff, man. Is there anything else you wanna talk about, let your fans know?

YH: Yeah, man, Larceny Entertainment, man, that’s the movement…any of you little rap niggas out there that’s trying to get on, if you from the West Coast, you better come through the L, you feeling me? It’s poppin’ out there! (laughs). Yeah, but on some real shit, man, I appreciate all the love I been getting from my fans out there, like the response has been crazy, and I only put out one mixtape. This shit’s been hot. There’s more to come, know what I mean? And just look out for your boy Young Hootie, I’m having a fun ride.

MS: All right, man, thanks for joining us.

YH: Yeah, no problem, man, thanks.

MIXTAPE SHOW EPISODE 12 – young hootie interview

Man, check what the fuck it do? You already know what time it is, or maybe you don’t.

So yeah, it’s episode #12 of the most infamous hip-hop mixtape podcast on ye olde intarwebbe. And yes, normally shows come through on Fridays, but you all should have learned to expect the motherfucking unexpected round here by now. Basically things are getting kinda busy for your boy at the moment, so in case things get too hectic for me to put shit out on schedule, I’m just gonna put shit up early.

So, let’s see. We’ve had a dude from N.Y., a dude from Chicago, someone from D.C...there would be something wrong if I didn’t go right next door and hit up Compton for some sound.

This week we got someone I actually got respect for, which says something considering that I’m young and irresponsible enough to where I generally don’t give a fuck about anyone other than myself. For episode #12 I touched base with Young Hootie, who is currently making major strides in the mixtape and underground / mainstream rap scene. I met dude before he dropped his first mixtape, and since then he’s been featured in the Source twice, been on a bunch of DVDs, and fuck it, just listen to the interview. Special bonus this time: if you listen really closely, you can hear dude getting his hair cut. I have a feeling that he was moving around a lot when he talked, so I hope the barber didn’t fuck up his hair.

Either way he could just wear his hat, so it’s all gravy.

This interview was actually going to originally be a written piece for a couple of different websites so it’s kinda off the cuff, but shit sounded good enough to where I figured I’d just release the interview and let you all hear it for yourselves. You can click this link to read the rest of it – it’s slightly altered for readability, obviously, but if you’re slacking off at work and really just fucking have to know what Young Hootie has to say before you go home to your mom’s basement, then you can get your read on.

*Shoutout list = new feature where I tell you if somebody says your name so you can call your baby mama and tell her that you’re famous because you got mentioned on the mixtape show. It’s like listening to the podcast your own god damn self, only faster.

Jokes aside, you know I don’t feature any artist unless they’re good, so you know Hootie has some quality joints. Be looking for some Young Hootie joints coming up on a hip-hop podcast near you.

I don’t have any links to him just yet, but some are coming soon. Watch this space…

All right, I think that does it for this episode. Keep checking back, I got something major coming very soon…

(click the image to check the show…)

psychiatrist title:’MIXTAPE 09′, more info link:’http://www.mixtapeshow.net’,id:’12345′,image:’http://mixtapeshow.net/wp-content/ep09cover.jpg’});openPlay(119);”>

how do I listen to the show?

Damn, we been on this interview ish for a minute now. Next show is a music joint, promise.

This week on the best hip-hop mixtape podcast on the internets, we got The Source‘s Unsigned Hype alumni Akir. Dude has been making serious moves for a minute now, and I finally caught up to him for an interview. He’s dodging buses or some shit while we talk via celly so the audio’s a bit hectic, but Akir still drops some serious shit about his artistic philosophy, the international market, the state of hip-hop in the US, and what it’s like doing shows at the historically non-rap-oriented Vans Warped Tour.

Also he breaks down Politricks, which is one of the tracks that I’d been getting the most positive feedback on. So if you were looking for the artist himself to explain what he was going for with that track, you’ll definitely want to listen. There’s also some info on his upcoming projects in there, and I’m probably leaving out something. Just listen.

Oh yeah, I forgot – there’s another new single in there – Calling. You’re definitely going to want to make it to the end of the podcast for that joint, and no fast-forwarding either, you impatient fucks.

Big shout outs and appreciation by the way to Akir and the whole One Ent. family for the support and whatnot in making this show happen. All beats on this show, as always, are supplied by the artist, so if you’re anxious to hear someone spitting over those joints, well, go cop his rekkids. If you’re looking for more info / material by Akir, go check him out at myspace.com/akir – there’s some tracks even I haven’t played here, and plenty of other news. Hopefully they link us back on their site as well. Be on the lookout for that Legacy joint in the fall too…

That’s it for this week then, kids. Be on the lookout for even more wildness, you know what it is. Keep tellin the homies, kids, we ain’t even started yet…

I really haven’t got a lot to say about this. Via lyrical swords, I caught this link to a 1 hour, 8 minute guest appearance by The Abbott himself at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. It ain’t exactly your fav hip-hop podcast here, but it’s recommended by your boy, so I suggest that everyone sit down and take a good listen to this.
(click image to listen!)

He addresses some major things here. He gets on the chess-kung fu-5% thing without getting too spacey, he talks about his musicianship, and so on. He also has what I think is a really healthy outlook on the rap world today – I liked his McDonald’s analogy. When you’re ready for real food, you stop eating junk, nahhmean? It’s a cycle. Real talk.

Really, RZA just breaks shit down for you on a lot of fronts, and he comes this close to breaking down himself when he starts talking about the late genius, the Big Baby Jesus.

I’m not totally sure what to make of it. Hip-hop in an academic or otherwise non-street setting usually comes off as pretty stupid, square, and/or patronizing, but somehow this seemed sort of appropriate. Just listen.

Edit: At the request of some people at the wu-tang forums, I’ve gone ahead and converted the file to a downloadable mp3 format. You can get it here (hi-fi 128kbps, lo-fi mono (smaller file) version here. Welcome wu-tang corp forum members, and while you’re here, check out the rest of the site – plenty of good hip-hop to keep you busy.

(original link to ram file is (or check the original link to the R here)

MIXTAPE SHOW 8 – chester copperpot interview part 2

Well, visit this site here it is folks – the long-awaited second half of the interview (check the first half here) with Chester Copperpot, on the only hip-hop podcast y’all need to even be bothering with. This time around, Chess explains why he keeps working with people from the UK, why there are those weird phone messages on his album, why he had to sell his MPC to make rent, and why he hates myspace.

I actually considered posting his myspace account on here, but I don’t know it and anyway that would be kinda harsh considering he hooked you all up with a bunch of tracks this week.

chess chose this picture…i have no idea either. it’s him, anyway.

Oh yeah, and we talk some politics as well. Also I think there’s something in there about frisbee golf and Nintendo, but I forget. Just download the goddamn show, aight?

Anyway, let’s get into it – tracklisttttt
Headtrip w/ Verb T and Kashmere – this one is off Chess’ album, Chapter 7. The rhymes are pretty out there, and the subject matter…well, I’ll let you check it out. The production is probably my favorite of his work though. Recco-fucking-mended.

It’s a Rap remix f/ Pace won and Longshot (exclusive!) – Is this a preview of that Longshot album Chess mentioned? Not sure, I’ll have to ask him later. Still, though, quality work…

The Gypsy f/ Pace Won – (exclusive!) – and closing out the exclusives on this episode, we got this cut. Pretty crazy imagery with the rhymes. Fuck it, just listen, I’m tired. I’d write more now, but I’m hungry and I need to sleep like whoa.

You can pick up Chess’ new album, Chapter 7, from the following sites:

Ughh.com, sandboxautomatic.com, hiphopsite.com, evrecords.net.

Be on the lookout for new ish coming soon…and keep coming back to the site, cause you know we fresh. Next interview is with The Source’s Unsigned Hype artist Akir, who you’ve heard on this show before. See? Y’all ask for something, I deliver.

Stay tuned y’all…

MIXTAPE SHOW EPISODE 7 – chester copperpot interview part 1

Jyeah. You arready know what this is, doctor it’s your favorite hip-hop podcast show, visit this site the mixtape. This time on the mixtape show, we’ve got Chicago super-producer Chester Copperpot on the line for an exclusive interview.

Update: Check here for the second part once you’re done with this one…Chapter 7 episode 2.

This time he’s talking about his latest album (Chapter 7), a Tony Hawk freestyle, his origins in the world of hip-hop, his early work, how he had to sell his MPC 2000 to make rent…ah, fuck it, just download the episode and listen for yourself. Quality all the way around.

Check out the two tracks in there also:

Cut the Cake f/ Bamski the Bigot (promo / early copy only!)
This one introduced me to Copperpot – it was the first joint on his radio-only release, Chapter 7, Verses 1 and 2. It can also be found on vinyl (his first ever release), but other than that, I don’t think you’re gonna hear it anywhere else but here. Bam sounds like a real angry dude and drops some pretty ragged lines. Chess can play this one down all he likes, but I still dig the track. Get at me when you remix it, man.

Blow f/ Psalm One (exclusive!) This is mixtape show exclusive, meaning that you are not going to hear this anywhere else, for now, forreal. The homegirl Psalm One jumps through with a catchy as hell hook and damn it, I hate writing about music. Just listen, you will like it, trust me.

Arright, that’s all I’m writing for now. Be on the lookout for episode #8 next week right here- we’ll have three exclusives on that joint, and you know they gonna be hot because your boy dont play no garbage. Peace to Chester and EV for this one. Hit him up: www.copperpot.cc

By the way, how are those 96 kbps files working for you all? Is the sound too lo-fi? Get at me and let me know…we need to keep ish quality…

And start linking me suckers! Tell people! Spread the word…

MIXTAPE SHOW EPISODE 4: O.C. interview part 2

I am having way too much fun doing this. This is the second half of that O.C. interview you heard last week. As I mentioned before, dermatologist I got two new exclusives – for all you herbs out there, that means that ain’t nobody heard this outside of O.C. and his closest associates – and now me and you. Here’s the track list of the songs that are in this episode:

Guns & Butter (Smoke and Mirrors) – exclusive
Dangerous (Jewelz)
Born 2 Live (Word…Life)
Rap Dudes (Smoke and Mirrors) – extra goddamned exclusive!

I’ll have some more info about the upcoming album (and the U.S. tour) as soon as that information is available. Special thanks to O.C. and Greg at All City for making this one possible.

I put this one up in 96kbps, so let me know how it sounds to you all quality wise. I’m just tryin to save y’all on them Windows 3.1 machines and 33.6k dialup some stress, knawwmean?

Anyway, I’m up to the bay for a minute, and I’ll be back on the grind as soon as I get back in. Expect a new episode next week, right on schedule. Holler at me.

MIXTAPE SHOW EPISODE 3: O.C. Interview part 1

What up intarweb? You read that right, pharm an interview with O.C. It’s the first interview of many on the mixtape show, and this one is so long that I had to break it into two parts for all y’all on dialup. Click here for the second part. Speaking of dialup, this was done with a land line and a cell phone, so it’s gonna be a little shaky, but we keeps it hood here anyway; you know how it is.

Anyway, back to the topic: for those of you who don’t know, O.C. is a major player in the major hip-hop squad that is the D.I.T.C. (Diggin’ In The Crates) crew. And not only did I get an interview, but we’ve also got some cuts off of both Jewelz and the 1994 classic Word…Life for y’all to check out as well.

Here’s the tracklist for those who don’t already know:

Word…Life (Word…Life)
Time’s Up (Word…Life)
You and Yours (Jewelz)

All beats are off of O.C.’s Word…Life, sliced and blended by your boy.

You know what? I’m not trying to give you the whole show on text, yo. Do yourself a favor and download it. Also be advised that this is part 1 of 2, and to make up for the lateness of this show (it was supposed to be here on Friday), part 2 is coming up in like a couple of days. You absolutely do not want to miss the next part, for reasons that you will understand when you listen to the last couple minutes of this podcast.

Let me know what y’all think, and be on the lookout for part 2 coming up very soon.