4 Finalists For The On Our Radar - theWHOevers Contest
4 Finalists For The On Our Radar - theWHOevers Contest (@ArjayeJeter @brownsahater @Roosevelt_Titan @TheSpect)
Artists from all over the the city sent in music in hopes of earning an opening spot at the upcoming theWHOevers, Palmer Squares & Add-2 concert. We sifted through all the submissions, and selected four emcees that we think could be a good fit. Below you will find music from each finalist. Check out the record they submitted, hit up their soundcloud page and let us know who you dig the most…
[Industry Insight] Alex Fruchter Discusses Creative Approach For Village Party & CS Releases
[Industry Insight] @DJ_RTC Discusses Creative Approach For Village Party & CS Releases
Despite the way it seems given the average level of quality and speed of release for albums in the current scene, releasing a conceptual project is hard work. Getting a couple hundred people to stream your mixtape can be an accomplishment in itself, but beyond that, how do you plan on stretching the material so as to not be another blip on the radar of a short-attention-span-defined generation…
Jon Connor doesn’t have many home town role models to look to as far as making it in the music world. His hometown of Flint, Michigan hasn’t really put a dent on Hip Hop in nearly two decades, and the city is most well-known for things way more serious than rap records, and magazine covers. From a young age Connor has had to look inward for success, put himself and his city on his back, and approach music with a do or die attitude. “Growing up I didn’t have any plugs inside the game,” he tells me via phone just a few weeks after the release of his Season 2 mixtape, as well as being nominated for the 2012 XXL Freshmen cover. “I didn’t have any light at the end of the tunnel where it was just guaranteed that this was going to work. It was like, ‘this has to work.’ For me, rapping is, was, and always will be life or death because I come from nothing and that’s enough to motivate you.”
Alexander Fruchter: Congratulations on an excellent mixtape in Season 2. Now with it released and living, are you able to look at it at all with new eyes, not in the midst of making it or releasing it. How does it look to you now?
Jon Connor: It’s funny man, every record is like my baby. Now, a few weeks after it’s out it’s like I gave my kid to the world and it’s like seeing my kid graduate. To see the reaction that other people have to these songs is crazy. It’s really nuts. I’m able now to look at Season 2 as a listener and as a consumer. When you’re making it, you’re so wrapped up in it and you got thoughts going through your head of ‘I wonder what people are going to think? I wonder what people are going to think?’ So then when it came out, and when I see people’s reaction to it, I feel just like them. Like ‘Yes! They got it, they understood. They dig it.’ It’s dope. I love the before and after, while making it and after is a beautiful thing. To go in and make songs to get a certain reaction, then when you get it, there’s no better gratification.
Alexander Fruchter: The first project I heard from you was The Calling Pt. 2. Mateen Cleaves handed me that CD when I met you guys a couple years ago in Chicago. Listening to that and then this new one, it feels like you’ve really grown as an emcee, and have really grown into yourself. Do you think back to the times of those early projects, and compare yourself to back then?
Jon Connor: I think that we all grow every day. Every year you should grow as a person. There’s things you’ll go through this year that you didn’t go through last year, and you should take those experiences and learn from them. It’s the same for me and music. I hope I continue to grow, and I know I will. That’s how I look at myself as far as music and being an artist. I do look back at those old projects and see the progression. I just look at it as the natural human progression. I feel like if I make a beat or write a rhyme today, it should be better than whatever I wrote on Season 2. I should’ve grown from what I was doing on Season 2. I’m going to continue to grow throughout my career. I’m going to make sure that each project gets better and better. I’m going to keep going in and perfecting my craft for the people, so I can give them the best music possible. The best music I’m capable of making at that time is what I’m going to give them. We’re going to keep growing together.
Alexander Fruchter: A theme that I hear throughout your music is your high importance to remain true to yourself no matter what, and to present your art without gimmicks and you touch on the struggle of doing that. When you were younger, were there things you thought a rapper must do, or things you must say or feel? How did you let that go?
Jon Connor: It was kind of like, ‘I always need to be myself in everything I do.’ I need to make sure when you listen to a record, there’s nothing about my background that you could ever question. When I came up, I idolized and looked up to the greatest, to Jay-Z, Eminem, Biggie, Pac, and Nas. One thing that they got in common although they’re all very different, is that they’re being themselves. It’s not a gimmick with Jay-Z. He really is the street hustler from Marcy. Eminem, he really is that guy, really from Detroit and passionate about what he does. Biggie, Pac, they put themselves into their music. I never wanted to be a fly by night rapper or some cat that people are like, ‘yo, remember Jon Connor?’ I want to be mentioned in that same vein, so I make music with that in mind. I have to. Even the things that the average person wouldn’t put in their music. I tell people, I went to private school. You’re never going to have to research. There’s nothing you’re going to find out about Jon Connor that he didn’t already tell you. Yeah, I went to private school, but I grew up in the hood. Does that take away from my credibility or what I went through growing up? No. I’m going to tell you why. It was always important for me to find how to express myself and express the struggle I went through, and at the same time remain true to who I am. That’s how legends are made, and that’s what I’m in this for, to be a legend.
Alexander Fruchter: It’s funny you said that, I picked out the line, “I went to private school, so they say I ain’t hood enough, raised in the hood, so critics act like I ain’t good enough.” Can you talk about that line? There’s a lot of substance there from the anti-intellectualism Hip Hop faces, to even how music critics view artists just based on their background or where they are from. You touched on both those worlds, and you live in both those worlds.
Jon Connor: That’s 100 percent truth. I grew up in both worlds. Private school was definitely a different world. I love my experiences going through private school for the simple fact that it taught me how to have sense. It taught me how to talk to people and be able to communicate with all people. When I see my fans on Twitter they are Asian people, white people, black people, Indian people, everybody because I grew up around all of that. I know how to act when I’m in a meeting, I know how to talk to people. At the same time, when I got off that school bus it was a whole different story. I grew up where my sister was dating the neighborhood D-boys. I grew up around that, but I think that at the end of the day, it’s important for me because I’m able to sit here and talk to you like this. A lot of people that have just a hood mentality wouldn’t be able to talk to you like this. I want to be a positive representation of my city, I want to be a positive representation for being a rap artist. A lot of times we get bad raps for something like that. I can justify and explain to you in an intelligent way everything I said and everything I did. Any line that I spit, people can question me on it and I’m not going to be like, ‘uhhhh…’ I really appreciate everything I went through growing up. It made me a well-rounded person.
At the end of the day you can’t question my credibility because Flint, Michigan is what it is. You’re not going to find too many bright spots in Flint, Michigan. The fact I was born in Flint cancels out anything. Off the top you know what my life was. You know how hard it was for me. If you step foot in Flint and see where I grew up, you know what it is. At the same time, I feel like I’m blessed that my mother sacrificed like she did to show me the other side of the world. At the end of the day I can represent Flint, Michigan in a positive way. I can change the way people look at rappers, at artists, at Flint, Michigan natives, I can change all of that. I think that was all because of my experience going to private school growing up.
Alexander Fruchter: My brother went to Michigan State. He had friends from Flint. Knowing what I know of the city, it seems like there aren’t a lot of outlets that let kids be creative. I know in Chicago Public Schools the music programs are severing lacking. What nurtured your creative side and gave you the tools to learn how to produce, how to learn the equipment, were there outlets or did you need to create them yourself?
Jon Connor: Music was already in me. From birth it was already there. My father did music and I looked up to him. Where that outlet of just honing my craft came from is that I knew that I did not want to live in Flint, or live in those conditions forever. I knew I had to get up and get out. That motivated me. When you’re hearing that dudes are getting killed by their best friends, and your homies are dying at the same age as you, that’s enough motivation to keep your head in that studio and never come out. That’s what drove me and motivated me. The natural love and passion for music and rhyming was already there, but the never say die, I’m going to get this no matter what – you got to think, growing up I didn’t have any plugs inside the game. I didn’t have any light at the end of the tunnel where it was just guaranteed that this was going to work. It was like, ‘this has to work.’ For me, rapping is, was, and always will be life or death because I come from nothing and that’s enough to motivate you. I come from boarded up schools and boarded up houses. I come from every other day somebody gets murder. And coming from that is enough to motivate you and make you want to get up, get out, and do better. That’s what sent it over the edge. The passion was there, but the never say die, this is life or death, that was my environment of ‘I got to get out of here.’
Alexander Fruchter: You have another interesting line on the mixtape, “I’m from Flint, I get hated by mothefuckers I’m trying to rep for.” How are you received in Flint? How does that make you feel if you are getting that negative reaction?
Jon Connor: I think that’s probably what all artists in their hometown go through. When you go somewhere else it’s like you’re this mythical character. If I was to go to Atlanta it’s like, ‘this is dope, this is Jon Connor from Flint. He came all the way from Flint.’ And I’m telling Flint’s story and they’re able to sit there and be like, ‘wow.’ It’s like I’m a living, breathing, Flint artifact. I think that’s half the reason why people trip over celebrities because you’re bringing your city and your story to life when you go to a new city. If you look at your hometown, they know you, they grew up with you, you have problems with people, you may have dated their sister. It’s always something. That line, and I must say this, my city does support me but at the same time you have those that hate for whatever reason. I just couldn’t be the one to spread negative energy back. Especially Flint, Michigan, we’ve had so much negative publicity. We’ve had so many negative things said about us. Flint is as bad as it is, but god-damn, let’s do something to try to fix it. I’ll never be the one to engage in downing my city or slandering any other Flint artist. By me saying that line it was more like a wake up call for Flint people like, ‘don’t shoot the messenger. Don’t shoot me. Don’t shoot the flag bearer.’ It’s been 20 years since we’ve had somebody rep for us. I’m trying to do this for all of us. I’m trying to kick that door down for all of us. As many people that love me in my city, I’m sure there are people that feel some type of way. That’s just what it is. People are always going to have to a certain extent, a crab in a barrel mentality. ‘Why is he so special? Why does he get to do it.’ But at the end of the day, I’m not going to be the one to add negative publicity to Flint. I’m always going to be the one to be like, ‘I’m opening the door and if you’re smart, you should try to come on through. Get on your grind and come on through and let’s put Flint on the map in a positive way.’
Alexander Fruchter: I want to ask you real quick about your partner Mateen Cleaves. Like I said, my brother went to Michigan State. That was during the Shawn Respert and Eric Snow time. When I was in high school Mateen Cleaves, Antonio Smith and all those guys started going back to Michigan State and they overtook Michigan. It seemed like Mateen Cleaves really kicked that off and was a leader back then. What did you know of him growing up, and how was Mateen, Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell thought of back then? What knowledge have you gained of those guys being able to work with them so closely?
Jon Connor: They took over the world. That was all you were seeing. When they had their run in college, that’s all you saw. It was the Flintstones. Being a young man in Flint, they were like folk heroes. The Flintstones were like Mt. Rushmore of Flint, Michigan. It was crazy here. I remember Flintstone cartoon t-shirts. I remember when we had certain Michigan/Michigan State days and you would come to school dressed in whatever college, it was just all Michigan State. They were like our hometown heroes they gave us something to aspire to be. They were on Sports Illustrated and doing so much stuff. It was wild. Now to look at all of them now as like my big brothers, it’s kind of surreal to me. As a child I looked up to them, they were these four heroes that you just kind of looked at like, wow. Now all four of them are my brothers and they sit me down and talk to me about going through the game, attaining and maintaining success and how they dealt with it. To look at them now trips me out. All of them were in the “Ain’t No Future” video. At certain times at that video shoot I had an out of body experience as I looked over at them talking. It was like, ‘wow, the Flintstones are in my video to support me. These are my big bros!’ I still look at them like that. I still look at them like, ‘wow. They did it. What I’m trying to do now, they already did it.’ No matter how big I ever get, or how many records I sell, I don’t think I’ll ever stop looking at them as ‘The Flintstones.’ I don’t think that will ever go away. Shouts to them, Charlie Bell, Mo Pete, Robaire Smith, Antonio Smith, Mo Cleaves…
Alexander Fruchter: You’re coming back to Chicago soon. As I was saying, I met you briefly at a party we threw for Nas and Damian Marley at The Shrine. I remember looking over and thinking, ‘man that dude looks real familiar. That can’t be Mateen Cleaves, why would he be at this party?’ I went up to him and asked him if he was Mateen Cleaves, and when he said yes, I just thought ‘oh shit.’ I looked at him that same way. Then we met you, and I know you talked to Nas, and I read articles about how that was a big night for you and you finally got to sit down and talk to Nas. I hear the references to Chicago in your new music, what place does the Windy City hold for you? Was that a big night?
Jon Connor: Yo, that is so crazy that you were there that night. I met Nas one time before that. We met at Shane Park in Detroit. It was Nas and I want to say Scarface was headlining the show. We were backstage and I met him but it was more like. ‘hi and bye,’ because he had to go and we had to go. But that night in Chicago was the night, probably one of the biggest nights for me to date. That was a special night because it was the first time me and Nas got to actually sit down and talk, just really go in and have a conversation with each other. That was a special night. Maybe people have seen the “Epic” video and the part where Nas says, ‘this kid is next,’ there’s a whole little video on youtube of Nas talking to me about the game. That was that nigh. Right after the party we dipped out. It was just me, Nas, and Mateen Cleaves. There’s an excerpt on “No Apologies” of Nas talking to me, that is not from no movie or other interview. Him saying what he said on “No Apologies” was that night in Chicago, him talking to me. I hold that night so near and dear to my heart. People got to understand, I study the greats. There are nights where I would go to sleep listening to Illmatic, I Am, and It Was Written. To me, Nas was always like the epitome of what an emcee should be. The way he put words together, his thought process, how creative he was with music, was something that I strive to be.
And I love the Chi! The Chi is fly, man. I’ve only been there one time but I got so much respect for their contribution to music, Kanye West, Common, even going back to Crucial Conflict. Man, I got so much respect for Chicago’s contribution to Hip Hop that it’s ridiculous. R. Kelly’s from Chicago, I just feel like some of the greatest and most talented musical minds come from the Chi. We can lay claim, Midwest all day. I think that having the Chi’s respect and admiration is going to mean a lot to me. Being able to come there and do a show, and be able to rock out with them because they produce such great artists, they know what good music is, and they know what a talented rapper is. I respect the Chi’s opinion on what I do. I respect how the Chi views me. I respect their contribution to music so much.
Alexander Fruchter: You’re nominated for the XXL Freshmen cover. There’s talk of you signing a record deal. What’s most important to you right now? Are you soaking all that in, or do you have blinders on and it doesn’t matter?
Jon Connor: As far as being nominated, for a kid from Flint the feeling is unreal. I got the XXL Show and Prove in the December issue and that was crazy for me. To even be acknowledged by a number 1 Hip Hop publication… Think about how many rappers are in the world, period. There’s so many rappers just in Flint, I can name you probably about 50 rappers just in Flint. Think about every city in the United States and how many rappers there are. For them to narrow it down to me being among the top 50, that in itself… I’m from Flint, a city that’s 30 minutes long. You’re going to be in and out of Flint before you know it if you’re driving on the highway. That’s an honor. It’s an honor in itself. To get the cover man, that’s going to be a dream come true. I let my mother and everyone else get caught up in the hype, because I got to keep working. That’s my main focus. I wanted the Freshmen cover, and being nominated is a beautiful thing. And where I’m trying to go in this game is above and beyond. I want to keep getting covers, I want to keep getting features in magazines. I like feeling successful. If you’re getting caught up on one accomplishment, you’re not focused on moving on to the next one. You got to take every accomplishment as it comes, but if I was to just sit and harp on one thing for too long, then that means I’m not doing something else.
I’m honored and it’s a privilege, I don’t have the words to express. I’m from Flint, we ain’t used to shit like this. I take it like I’m on the right track, and doing what I’m supposed to do. To get it would be an honor, but it’s a joy just to see my mother and my sister, and the crew, it’s validation. We worked our ass off. You got to understand, for a year straight, Vinnie Chase came out and then every week after that there was either a freestyle or a video out. Then Salvation came out in the midst of that. Two projects in one year because afterSalvation we dropped Season 2 and in between that there were freestyles, videos, and features. We worked our asses off. To be validated by XXL like, ‘we see your grind, we see your hunger, and we’re going to nominate you,’ there’s no feeling like it. It’s validation for how hard we work, because we do work hard.
Alexander Fruchter: It makes me think of your track, “Inside of You”. Looking at the title you may think that it’s about women. But you flip the Sarah Marshall song and the question that Russell Brand asks Sarah Marshall into a question towards Hip Hop. How often have you asked that question, and what if anything made you hesitant or questioning?
Jon Connor: Man, one thing about that record, that’s also a reflection of going to private school and being raised in the hood. That sample is definitely private school, and then the drums are definitely the hood… That’s why I love both sides of me, and that’s what I’m going to bring to the game. That’s why I’m going to sample Cyndi Lauper, I’m going to sample Oasis, I’m going to sample these obscure alternative rock or 80′s pop songs…And yeah, it was like that. Originality is like the holy grail, being original. A lot of times people aren’t receptive to something new or something original. Hip Hop sometimes doesn’t know how to take something new. We get comfortable, we know what we like or what we’ve been hearing. Sometimes coming into the game as a new artist that takes pride in being lyrically creative, whether I’m spitting metaphors or not in the verse, I want the song to be creative, I don’t want it to just be another song. I want you to listen to it and then two days later be like, ‘oh shit, he said this!’ Even with “Inside of You” to be like, ‘oh, he’s not talking about a girl!’ I like that type of shit. So there were times in my grind and in my come up, the thought only lasted probably half a second, but I thought, maybe if I did this certain type of record it would speed the process up. Maybe if I did this, or I did that. But at the end of the day, I just cherish originality and want to be a legend so much that I just kept doing what I do. I’m going to keep doing what I do until what I’m doing is what’s hot.
Chris Webber told me this, he said everybody has their time at least once. But if you are constantly chasing a trend, you’re never going to have your time. By the time you reinvent yourself to whatever the trend is, that trend is going to be over and you’re going to always miss the boat. But if you stick to doing what you do, your time is going to come at least once. Your time is going to come. You’re guaranteed that. So I just kept that in my head like, ‘naw, I’m not going to waver for nobody.’ I feel like I’m going to be a trendsetter. The greats in the game set the trend. The greats in the game are the trends that everybody else follows and that’s what I’m going to bring to the game. I’m a human. Everybody has those moments of ‘damn, what could I do to make this process speed up?’ But when I snap out of it, and now I’m getting my validation and gratification for staying true to who I am. I’m just doing what I’ve always done. I’m making music that I like. I’m making what I feel the people want, what the people need and I’ll always do that. If you’re in tune to who you are as an artist and a person, you’re never going to fade away. As long as you’re being you, nobody can be you as good as you. As long as you stay yourself, you’ll never have to worry about ‘what’s the next hit record? what’s the next hit sound?’ You’re just doing you and people are going to respond to that. I’m just going to stay being me and keep my finger on the pulse of what people want.
A couple days ago, our teacher DJ RTC was kind enough to bring in a special guest speaker to class. You may have heard of him, you may have not, either way you should keep an eye out for him especially since he was younger than everyone in the class. I'm only 21 and I know it means something to AEMMP Records if the speaker is 18 years old.
Thelonious Martin, a first year student at Columbia College has certainly made name for himself as a producer. Working with artist such as Vic Mensa, Nostalgia, Mic Terror and many many more. The hip-hop crew certainly has are eyes peeled and hope to work with the young, talented producer for the up and coming 2012 Mixtape.
Til then you should certainly check out his music and latest project "Super"
"They say you can sleep when you're dead, can you interview
Mos Def while deceased?"
- Sleep When I'm Dead
You like that quote? I thought it was pretty fresh when I wrote it, pretty much 5 years ago. I remember that night in the spring of 2006. I was 24. I was teaching 5th grade at Henderson Elementary in Englewood on Chicago's Southside. Derrick Rose wasn't grabbing headlines yet, and unfortunately, the neighborhood was most known for it's extreme poverty, and rash of violence that spring, violence that innocently claimed two of my school's students much, much too early.
I sat at my futon that night, like many nights, overwhelmed and anxious. The classroom was getting tough. I just got over a really bad case of strep-throat, which turned into mono. My girlfriend (who was teaching 3rd grade at the same school) broke up with me, yet kept sending her students to ask me to let her borrow things... and all I wanted to do was interview Mos Def.
"Can I apply from the grave and recieve a doctoral degree
Publish a book and recieve copyright fees?
Can I accomplish my goals by implanting my soul
In the body of someone with more stamina than me?"
I was beat down. Beaten by the same school system that had beaten down my students, my students' parents, and so many others. I was fatigued from balancing my passion for music with my passion for knowledge. Coming home and starting shift #2 writing and djing daily. And yet, none of it felt like enough. Everything was bottled in, and I was at a period of almost bottoming out. I felt alone, isolated, and almost powerless against a shitty school system, and a changing music world that was producing worse music by the day. While I had posters and quotes from Mos Def, Common, Kanye West, and Beastie Boys around my classroom, it was the sounds of D4L, Dem Franchize Boys, and others that populated the hallways.
"See, I teach in the valley where the shadow of death lives
In rent subsidized housing with free lunch and breakfast
Did you catch it? It's kind of hard
Squeezing so much anger into 16 bars"
But this night, as I sat on my futon in my tiny studio apartment in Old Town and wrote, I started to feel better. The words just flowed. And all I could think about was interviewing Mos Def.
It's been a long time since. I've interviewed a slew of artists, fashion designers, directors, photographers. I've picked the brains of some of my musical heroes, and others who inspire me. I've talked to Talib Kweli 3 or 4 times. I've been in the studio with Raekwon and DJ Babu, sat across the coffee table from the Beastie Boys, had an hour long conversation about the old TV shows with Ricky Powell, and talked to Busta Rhymes about wavelengths... But I've never interviewed Mos Def.
I met him once. Briefly. It was summer of 2007, and he performed with Blackstar at Union Park. After the show a friend of mine, who was also a family friend of Mos Def's, introduced me to him. I didn't say much except "hello", to which he replied, "nice to meet you." Trust me, it wasn't as cheesy in real life.
Mos Def has been my favorite artist since I heard him in the late 90's as part of the Lyricist Lounge crew. He had a guest spot on A Tribe Called Quest's Love Movement LP, and also an underground hit with "Fortified Live". Blackstar was like nothing I'd ever heard, and it was a wrap when I put Black on Both Sides into my CD player while looking out the window onto the alley behind my parents' apartment.
Mos Def's music has gotten me through a lot. It's given me braggadocios lines to mumble as I walked around Indiana's Campus with a hoodie, headphones, and a large chip on my shoulder. It's given me a way to express a heavy heart during times of injustice and intolerance in the world. It's given me inspiration, and in a way, motivation to keep going. You see, I've still never interviewed Mos Def.
Today Mos Def announced that he will be changing his name at the start of 2012 to Yasiin. It's a name he brought up on his last LP, The Ecstatic. He said it's time to move on, to expand, to grow and that the Mos Def moniker didn't fully match his own self-identity. Unless something unforeseen happens... I'll probably never interview Mos Def.
And that's cool. I'm ok with it. Or maybe I'm not. I really don't know. I think I've changed a lot as well since Mos Def told me that "I only know a little bit of Spanish"... Or maybe I haven't, and I need to. As Mos Def turns a new leaf, I hope to as well.
You can pray to g-d or believe me
Follow or leave me
You can quit while ahead, or work till your bleeding
I'm on a mission as long as I'm breathing
And I'll sleep when I'm dead, and believe I'll sleep easy!
RubyHornet.com: Alexander & Virgil -- Friends Matter
Alexander & Virgil have relied on the help of their friends to provide advice, trends and recommendations within their urban-culture site, RubyHornet.com. From fresh fashions to rising music artists, Alexander & Virgil have utilized their friends' influence to help sculpt their visions of content and make their passions become a reality.
