Interview #13 With Meccah Maloh

Meccah Maloh is a Hip Hop artist out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He's been rapping since the young age of 12. Since then he has built his music around his skill and dedication. He has released and featured on many different albums and mixtapes. The newest one to come out is called, Devil on my Shoulder.

His music usually touches upon his life experiences and perspectives on certain situations that he has gone through. He is not about rapping on the glamour and money, because he doesn't have any of that. He used to aspire towards reaching superstardom but lately he's happy with independent success. He puts a lot of time into his lyric writing and I think you will see that once you listen to his music. He's doing what he can to get his name out there, he has local, national, and international fans looking out for the things that he is putting out.

The Interview...

What was that moment in your life (that you can recall) when you were like, I want to do music?

"Umm…well I’ve always been involved in music. I come from a music background. My stepfather played the blues in the house when I was growing up. He had guitars and other stuff. So when I was in school I just took a liking to doing music. I enjoyed music class and that’s where I learned how to play the drums. I been a music head since I came out the womb. My family on my dad's side was real heavy in playing music in church. I guess it's just in my genes."

What made you pick Hip Hop as your expressive outlet?

"I think the first time I heard 2Pac. Just how he was able to capture my mind at a young age with his music. I believe the first song I heard from Pac was “Brenda’s Got A Baby” then I heard “Dear Mama”. Those songs made me wanna rap so bad!"

What does music specifically do for your life that nothing else does, or can?

"Music allows me to just relax, man. I can be having a bad day or whatever, and I can just put on some music and bury myself in it. It doesn’t even have to be rap! I can throw on some Earth, Wind & Fire or some Al Green and just escape."

How is your music a direct reflection on what you have done, do, and stand for in your life?

"I’m not a “Turn-up” rapper. I don’t do the whole “TrapMusic” thing. What I say in my rhymes…I put a lot of thought in my lyrics. I'm responsible for what I say in my songs. Even if I'm just in the booth having fun, you get that! If Im hurt, you get that! If I'm happy, sad, mad, whatever, you get that!"

How do you stay real in your music?

"Simply by not trying to do what everybody else is doing and giving you ME! Even if I rap about somebody else, I’m giving you my perspective on that particular situation. I don’t own a Maybach. I don’t have mad chains around my neck. I rarely even go to clubs. I don’t sell mad coke in these streets. Why rap about it? Because that’s what everyone else is rapping about? Naw, man…not me."

How did you improve your craft (and still do) lyrically and rhythmically that really make your bars stand out and be called your style?

"I try to pick the right beats. I try to pick the right concepts. Most of that just comes from years of doing this, man, experience. Plus, I freestyle and I battle often. That’s how I keep my mind sharp."

Who are your biggest influences as an MC?

"Most def 2Pac. Nas is a major influence as well. As of lately I been liking what Ive been seeing locally from Sypherskillz, Prophetic and Yo-Dot. They keep me on my toes."

Since you have a hand in producing, who are your biggest influences in that realm?

"Alchemist, Kanye West, Timbaland…not really sure. A good beat is a good beat."

What makes you choose to be a lyrical artist over being a full time producer? Why do you like being an artist more?

"I can express more when I rhyme. With beats, you're kinda limited in what you can get across. That’s why I fell back from production because I don’t really like rapping over my own beats. Maybe one day in the future I will, but right now I enjoy making songs."

What are some of the places you have performed at and are there any upcoming shows we can come check you out at?

"Timbuktu, The Uptowner, The Rave, Stonefly, Quarters, Nostalgias…the list goes on, man. I've performed in Ohio, Chicago, and Madison as well. I'm working on a little tour for the DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER album. I will be giving ya'll updates on that soon. Just check out www.MeccahMaloh.com for info on that in the near future."

What are some of the projects you have worked on in the past and who was involved?

"Man, (Laughs) That’s a long list! I’ve done work with Ad-Lib…a LOT of work! I got plenty mixtapes, singles…"Hater’s Capital", "Beyond Belief", "Suicide Bomber", The Bronzville joint when I was in UMG, I worked with Roundtable Ent., We will be here all day discussing my track record."

What are some of the studios where you have a good relationship with?

"Tito from A. State Productions. He knows me pretty well…very easy to work with him. Ad-Lib is like a brother to me, but he’s mad busy with projects so whenever I can get in with him I do so."

What can we expect from you project-wise in the future? What is coming out soon?

DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER will be out soon, man. We lookin at a December release. It’s gonna be an E.P. produced entirely by 40MIL. Other than that, Im droppin exclusive songs until the release on my website http://www.MeccahMaloh.com/.

What is the goal you are trying to reach through the devices of the music industry for your own personal life?

I use to want a record deal…but I'm over that now. If I can reach the people independently, I'm good. 

Here are his links...

http://www.meccahmaloh.com/

https://twitter.com/meccahmaloh

https://www.facebook.com/meccahmaloh

http://www.youtube.com/meccahmalohonline

 http://meccahmalohmusic.bandcamp.com/album/meccah-x-cannon-super-smash-bros-the-mixtape

Feature: Graffiti and Banksy (Covering His New York Visit)

Graffiti, many people loathe what it does to their cities, they find it tasteless, damaging (to property), unlawful, dirty, and some would probably say it is an act of savagery (to name a few negative emotions that graffiti causes to residents). Some use graffiti to mark their territory, to leave a legacy, to express themselves, or even to get a rush of adrenaline for breaking the law. Most cities have called for murals to be painted in their cities to represent a piece of their city, which clearly shows the influence modern style graffiti has had on art. Graffiti has been around since the Stone Age if you really look at it. Graffiti is a form of expression to many as well as a form of art. Some modern day graffiti is quite primitive, looking like a scribbled name by a small child, but some can be very intricate.

Graffiti has played such a role in the helping us understand where we came from pertaining to anthropological studies and if we just took a chance to look at the graffiti through the years, we might be able to understand our own society a bit better. Banksy is one such graffiti artist that uses the art to show his political and social views in a way that almost makes you wish that it was lawful to conduct such activities. He comes from the UK and has done such things as add a piece of art to museums with a description (like any other museum piece) which at times goes almost unnoticed by the art staff. He has also used such props as a defiled phone booth laid out in London to make a statement.

In October, Banksy has come to New York City in hopes of turning heads and to help people understand our international and national actions seen through his own eyes. He really does it in an innovative way that sometimes doesn't use paint.

In this display, he packs a slaughterhouse delivery truck full of stuffed animals calling it, "Sirens of the Lambs". This particular truck toured the a meat packing district in New York for two weeks to show Banksy's distaste for the industry.

This piece is called, "Lower East Side", and it turns a trashed car into a piece of art.  His controlled strokes of a spray paint can are like no others and he really knows how to turn and abandoned alleyway into a piece of art.

This piece called "Greenpoint" showcases his satirical humor in how people use statements by philosophers to help bring some more validity and profoundness in what they are trying to say or even in social media to show what they stand for. I think it is a true cry out to the world to be original, convey your points with your own mind. This particular piece was done on day eight of his stay.

This piece came at day eight as well titled, "Brooklyn". It is an ode to all the broken hearts out there and I think it also says that it is funny how we buy flowers and balloons to help save our significant others from having a broken heart because of our mistakes in a relationship (like cheating for instance).

This piece is a satirical piece on how New York turns everything into a musical and it is called "Bushwick".

Another satirical piece that personifies the the fire hydrant as loving the attention from a dog urinating on it, called "Midtown".

  

This piece is a lot like the previous one, but a bit more blatant. He is definitely a person who is against the same old ideas and status quo.

Banksy has definitely left a mark in society. Many of his pieces have been already painted over, but through photography, they will live forever. I implore you to check out his documentary called, "Exit Through the Gift Shop" it is great and shows you a lot on many of his previous works. Some of his works have sold for thousands.

Sources for the article:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/10/graffiti-artist-banksy-takes-residency-on-the-streets-of-new-york.html

http://www.wikipedia.org/

and my mind...

Written by:

Craig Ludwig

Interview #12 With Mr. Fritz aka Frandy Brown

Mr.Fritz aka Frandy Brown, is a Hip Hop artist/ producer/ engineer out of Mattapan section of Boston, MA. When we at Rebel Noiz heard Bragging Rights, we immediately had him in mind for an interview. He is a lyricist and truly a gifted craftsman of the Hip Hop music culture. He takes his life experiences and really concentrates on his lyrics to make sure they hold true to the message he is trying to send. He wants ya'll to know that life isn't just something you live, it is something you see too. His artistry strongly comes from his determination to show the world what he has seen and lived.

On top of that, he has worked hard on his craft since the age of 15. Even he admits that it wasn't easy at first, it was something that he had to work on. It was the passion that he had for music that really made him improve and the support that he got from others seeing his raw gift with words. He utilized his drive to become an engineer as well as a producer. Mr. Fritz is an artist that deserves your ear and hopefully this interview helps capture his character and helps you understand that very fact. I hope he sticks around because his brand of Hip Hop is top notch and he deserves credit for his hard work.

The Interview...

How was life like growing up in Boston and why did that life bring you to music?

"I mean, I'm not going to act like I had the easiest upbringing. I've had a pretty hard life. When I was in elementary school, when my mother and father were together, we had a 2 bedroom apartment on Blue Hill Ave, where my mother had 4 kids including me, and my cousin came up from Haiti and stayed with us for a while. I've dealt with foster care, I was in jail for a little bit...I've been kicked out of 4 schools and I even dropped out of high school for a year until I decided to go back and get my diploma. I tried dealing with my personal issues by being in the streets with my homies, but I just found music to be therapeutic to me. It gives me value, I feel. People from where I'm from don't normally amount to nothing. Most of the people I grew up with aren't doing much with their lives cause they get caught up in the trap that the hood puts us in. And if I'm able to spread the word about how I've been taught things and how I see things from my environment then it's a job well done to me."

What is it about your life that you feel needs to be told?

"I feel like I'm the main guy out of Boston that speaks on the hood in a non-grimey way. What I mean by this is that...there are plenty of rappers that talk about the hood in Boston. But (and not to sound cocky saying this) but not many of them do it like me. I take pride in saying I paint my pictures a different way than your typical artist when it comes to this Hip Hop thing. I see more than just people getting shot, more than just the crime. I'm the person that would explain why things are happening, what's going on in the head of a person from the hood. I understand how things work around here. The experiences of a person who's lived a similar life that I've lived. That's what Hip Hop is about. We're CNN. We're telling people what's going on out there and within our souls. That's what I believe anyway."

What was the first official track you got on and how did it feel after you were done with the track?

"The first track I got on, I was TERRIBLE. I was only 15 though and my boy Ceddy (Free Ceddy) brought me to the studio for the first time. But I had a punchline that hit so hard that the group that was in the lab at the time asked me to join them. We're still homies to this day. The first track that got me respect though was a freestyle I did to Cam'ron's Down and Out beat. Even my boy's father was feeling it. From then on, I was addicted and wrote damn near compulsively. Because I didn't want anyone to ever think I was wack, ever."

Early on in your career, how come you kept pushing, so many fall off, why didn't you?

"Because my love for Hip Hop is genuine. The song that made me love Hip Hop completely was Killing Me Softly from TheFugees. That was the first Hip Hop song that I truly loved. I might do some tracks that might not be constituted as Hip Hop once in a while, but I will always show love to Hip Hop. Plus, I'm the pickiest person when it comes to what I do and how I do it. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to the pen. I'm not the best recording artist or performer, but when it comes to penning a song, I don't play. I make sure every line makes sense in relation to what kind of picture I'm trying to paint."

You are an artist/ producer/ engineer, which aspect do you concentrate on the most and why?

"I mean, I've always focused on the artist part. I started producing out of necessity, mainly. But I love soul samples and searching for them and chopping them like no other. I wish I had the time to produce as much as I write, but having a full-time job and a bunch of commitments prevents me from producing like I want to. But if I eventually get to do music full-time, you'll hear some crazy stuff from me.

As far as the engineering, I was actually inspired by losing an iStandard producer'sshowcase. The winner of that showcase's beats were super clean and I started binge studying how Protools works. Now I engineer all my own stuff. I don't have the best recording environment, but I'm working with what I have and making the best of it. I just focus on being as creative as I can right now and hopefully things fall into place if I play my cards right." 

Who are your influences musically (as an artist and producer)?

"I'm heavily influenced by Jay-Z and Eminem. I also draw from Andre 3000, Cam'ron (my favorite rapper), Nas and of course Biggie. I draw from Jay-Z because his style is right on the border of complex and simple, which is what I aim for. I try to be as simplistically lyrical as possible. I also draw that he's always honest in his lyrics when it comes to him talking about his hood politics, which I respect a lot. Eminem and Cam'ron's style influenced me a lot early on before I developed my own style, but I respect Eminem's technicality more than any other rapper. I simplify his wordplay and try to go for more double entendres more than the wordplay most of the time, because I feel like double and triple entendres make for more replay value.

For producers, I gotta give it to my bro Galaxy from Crook Firm, old-school Kanye, RZA, Alchemist, 9th Wonder, Just, Nottz...the sample based producers. Galaxy's my biggest influence, but Kanye's sample based albums, Ghostface's albums (and Wu-Tang in general), The Score, Diplomatic Immunity...those albums heavily influenced me. And I loved the Rocafella sound back when they were in their prime. It's absolute genius how some of these guys flip samples."

I like how you take relevant things that have happened in the world and turn it into a metaphor, like you did in your track "Whitey Bulgar". That is a great classic element that you bring to your music. What gave you that idea and why do you like staying true to Hip Hop over going for what is on the radio these days?

"Like I said in one of your previous questions, I rap because it's therapeutic to me. I don't rap to be cool, persay. I like saying fly shit. I like talking about where I come from and it's meaningful to people. I'm much better at rapping than having a conversation. Even though rap is like conversation.

Whitey Bulger I actually wrote on the spot. It was how I was feeling at the time. Cause I felt like even though I was getting love on Soundcloud, I was still an underdog with thoughts of being a mastermind. I was feeling myself after I dropped Bragging Rights and I got all that positive feedback. I could be a real boss one day. But I'm slept on, cause I don't feel like people give me the respect I deserve. I put in work. I work really hard at what I do, so you're gonna respect it even if you don't respect me. "Whitey Bulger" in a nutshell."

You have that classic East Coast sound, lyrical and smooth delivery. I think true Hip Hop heads will like this and the storytelling aspect about your music, people will relate to it. What made you hang in the realm of the East Coast, musically?

"Well I'm from the East Coast. I still listen to stuff like Supreme Clientele, Reasonable Doubt, Pretty Toney (I love Ghostface, too). It just fits me. Plus I enjoy the challenge of coming up with good bars and if I eventually make it in the game, I want the respect of the people I look up to. If I'm ever going to rap professionally, I want to be one of the best."

Who are some of the people you work with that you think deserve a mention and personal thanks to helping you to get to where you are today?

"When you mention Mr. Fritz, you have to mention Lindsey Gamble. If I'm Jordan, he's Phil Jackson. He makes sure I play things intelligently and makes sure I stay focused. I can't give that man enough props. I also have to show love to Shawn Patel, founder of ProU and one of the hardest working guys I know. He dreams bigger than anybody I know, just like my homie BR Starr. Like I said before, there isn't much hope coming from where I come from. These guys give me hope, which is more important than anything I might be able to provide.

I also have to show love to My SmooveGang brothers, Galaxy and Walt Scott. I learned how to make beats watching Galaxy cook up some of the most amazing stuff to ever come out of FL Studio. Walt is just a great person in general and I'd do anything for that dude. We teach each other so much, it's always one of us bouncing knowledge off the other and that's just a beautiful relationship in itself. Those are my brothers right there."

What are some of the projects you have worked on recently that people can go online and check out?

"Well I dropped Bragging Rights this past June. It's still available online right now at www.pipedreammusicgroup.com. Other than that, I've done a few collabs here and there. But it's tough doing a lot when I could only do music part time. I hope to increase my workload after the next album and go on tour, but I've been relegated to local shows so that's what I'm focused on for the time being, other than my new album."

What can we look forward to in the future coming out of you, musically?

"I'm currently working on a project called The Glory that I'm trying to make my Illmatic. I performed the title track recently and got people really excited for what I'm doing. I'm aiming to make this one 10 times better than Bragging Rights...and Bragging Rights, I feel, was a pretty good album.

I have a bunch of singles, too. I want to release them but I'm trying to translate my Soundcloud success to other social media outlets. I have like 6000+ Soundcloud followers, but like 500 twitter followers and 400+ Facebook likes. That's not really good enough for me to warrant putting out a lot of music yet. I just have to make my plans work and you might hear 100+ songs from me next year, I have so much."

Lastly, what do you want out of your music career?

"To me, there's a Hip Hop Mount Rushmore; Tupac, Biggie, Jay, Em, Nas, Andre 3k...you could argue other people being on that list, obviously...but those are the people that are unquestionable. I want to be on that list. I want to be one of the best ever. If I get my foot in the door, I'm gonna make sure I make the most of it. That's why I'm working on making this next album the best project I could make, given my circumstances. You already heard "Feelin You", that was just 1 track. I'm going to make this my magnum opus and make sure everyone puts their eyes on me. That's what I'm focused on.”

Here are his links:

http://www.pipedreammusicgroup.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pipedreammusicgroup

http://pipedreammusicgroup.bandcamp.com/

http://mrfritz.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MistahFritz

https://www.facebook.com/whoismrfritz

https://twitter.com/itsmrfritz

https://soundcloud.com/mrfritz

by: Craig Ludwig

Interview #11 With LvStong aka Gregory Satimin

LvStong aka Gregory Satimin was born on November 28^th, 1984, in Rotterdam NL. He started the B-I-C (Bubble In Crew) in 2004. Now he is not only an MC, but a DJ and a beat producer. He produces his beats using on Propellerhead Reason and The Roland MV-8800. He  has his own studio called ‘The Garage Studio’, there he works tirelessly with many young individuals to teach them how to make their own music and build the music in their lives so that they can go on and become successful artists themselves. He likes to help people with their music because many artists out there are selfish and don't particularly like to show love to other artists.

His life is all about peace, love, and community. His group, B-I-C, do a whole different style that is a style of their own, Grime (and they use it well). Why do I say it is a style of their own, because you don't hear many MCs spitting verses over beats that sound like theirs. LvStong, Massif, and all the other UK producers, have brought their electronic style of music (Grime and DnB) and structured it for Hip Hop to create a style that is very unique in it's own way. The energy that they bring to the mic is also top notch and very crafted, you can tell that they have been doing this for a while. Most Hip Hop artists wouldn't bring what is needed to the songs and LvStong and his B-I-C group, do and do it well. You either have to be original in music, or do it better than anyone else. I think they bring a little bit of both. Hats off to them and the music they create, I think they are on to something here.

The Interview...

How did you start out with music, what was your experiences in life that drew you to it?

"As a young boy, I saw my cousin workin on a DJ set and asked him what that was and he said that is a DJ set for mixing music. It was that moment when I thought.. “what???!!! So Sick!” A  few years later, I bought my own set and I started making my own mixes. I became a DJ for school parties and private parties. Wherever I've been, music has always been at my side. My homies and I used to listen to many instrumentals and we started to rap to them, but it was always for fun. People started to listen to us and said that we had talent and that we should do something with it."

Who were the artists in music that really drove you and influenced you?

"I've always been a big fan of Michael Jackson, always looked up to his work,  so he was the start for me in wanting to do something in the music. I began to learn from many artists like Notorious BIG, Bob Marley, Alpha Blondy, and R.Kelly, but when I heard Wiley (London UK) for the first time, I converted to Grime/ UkGarage/ DnB music. The sounds on 140 BPM did it for me."

How did you get your MC name?

"Music is in my blood, so it flows in my veins and “LV” stands for Lyrical Veins which was my  name till 2005. But people from my hometown call me “STONG”, because I was a young aggressive boy and Stong is a Suriname word and it means “Stone”. So I called myself LvStong.

What are the main life experiences that you bring to your music?

"I have no main life experiences that I bring to my music. I just live day-by-day and so is every experience in life that I bring into my music."

What does music do for your life?

"Music is my life, cuz music makes my heart beat. Life is a melody, without my heart, there is no rhythm. Music makes me smile, so it makes me stronger in everything I do!"

If you didn't have music what do you think you'd be doing?

"I think I'd be a soccer player because in my youthful years, I was training 6 days a week."

How does your family influence your life?

"Well, I have 2 sons and they keep me standing. And because of them I am still working on music. Because I have learned that no matter how old you get, you will always have to live your life and one must do something with your life, so the next generation will learn that there is more in life, but it's hard work. My family is why I still make music."

What are some of the projects you have been in?

I`ve worked on 2 mixtapes that I dropped online the last year, the first one was in 2013 called,   TheGarageStudio EP (the ep is named by my studio). The second was last month's, It`s All Grimy EP.

Who are some of the people you have worked with?

Massif Beatz [BE] – DonDeBaron [NL] – Dare[NL] – Loiston Lapper[NL] – Kenny Oost[NL] – FritteDeFritta[NL] -- Dr Krank [NL] – H-B [NL] – Meck-O-Leck [NL] -- L2K [NL]--" but mostly I work with Laupi D [NL]."

How did you and Laupi D meet?

"Me and Laupi D, we`ve been homies from years ago. We played soccer on the street in our hood. 9 years ago we made our first track called “DanDangMan”, and 2 years ago we started with a remix of DanDang and since that time he joined the B-I-C and became a true member of the crew."

How did you guys come up with your name, Bubble In Crew?

"It was Rafa Skyla who came up with this name. He always said to us, 'WHEN WE COME IN, WE BUBBLE IN!!', so we called our crew, the Bubble In Crew."

What would you say the factors are that make you and Laupi D work so well together?

"Hard work, to be honest with each other. We listen to each other and most of all is love."

You just came out with an EP, what are you trying to say to the world with this EP?

"Yes, the name of the EP is, “It`s All Grimy”, and it’s a tape with dutch vocals and many producers from the UK and MassifBeatz from BE. It's all about teamwork and love and it’s a new start for most of my crew, GRIME. So what we wanna tell people mostly is, do you like the hype and the vibe, just book us!"

What are some of the projects that we can look forward to the Bubble In Crew and you to come out with in the future?

"We are working on some instrumentals for a “B-i-C - Instrumental EP” and I am also working on my solo mixtape named StongTijdPerk EP. But for now it's time to promote, It`s All Grimy EP."

Who are some of the people you plan on working with still into the future?

"It`s All Grimy with the B-I-C, so I will work on many things with my crew the next year. I don`t to work with other MCs outside my crew, because our homie Rafa Skyla is comin' back next year from Peru, so we will work with him a great deal."

What are you trying to establish with your ever growing musical community?

"I wanna learn more about music so I will learn about music even more through other people."

What do you want to accomplish with your music career and what is your ultimate goal?

"I just wanna do music. Because when I work on music there is no goal to reach, cuz every time you reach your goal there is a new goal to reach. I say I make music for the love and the fun. Then we will see what comes from it, day to day.

Bookings: lvstong.bic@gmail.com

Here are the links to the media and the music:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lvstong/234897956655771

Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/lvstong

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/lvstong

B-I-C – It`s All Grimy EP:
https://soundcloud.com/b-i-c010

LvStong – Broeder (Prod by MassifBeatz):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju22EQIOInM

LvStong & Laupi D – Bengen (Prod by Laupi D):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM7bdDZv0Qk

Lvstong – Grime (Ft FritteDeFritta) Prod By DirtKlod:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuFRAdhv2dU

Soundcloud laupi D:

https://soundcloud.com/dennisdekker-1

Soundcloud MassifBeatz:

https://soundcloud.com/mstr-dd-aka-massif

by: Craig Ludwig