Kanye West's Sound Engineer Andrew Dawson Interview With L.A. Times

L.A. Times: Describe how you started working with Kanye West. And what do think it’s taken for you to be successful working with him prior to his latest album?

Andrew Dawson: When Kanye was halfway through "The College Dropout," he’d fired about six to eight engineers in about a month because they weren’t up to snuff, and it was eventually my turn to be next on the chopping block. I haven’t been fired since, seven or eight years later.

L.A. Times: How did you get involved with the "Fantasy" album, and what were some things you talked with Kanye about in terms of engineering and mixing it?

AD: "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" pretty much started New Year’s Eve 2009. He flew everyone out to Hawaii the day before New Year's Eve ... and I remember on New Year’s Eve I was in the studio getting everything ready to go for the next day. And on Jan. 1, we were getting into the recording sessions and worked pretty much 24-7 for six months straight out of Hawaii. I literally would leave to go shower, change clothes and come back to the studio. There weren’t many beach days. But Kanye went through his process and worked on it solid for a good six to seven months.

But as far as engineering, there are certain sounds and certain production aspects that he really likes. If there’s a sound or an idea he wants, he’ll take it to, like, an extreme, to where you start to wonder, "Why is this so far out there?" Then he’ll pull it back to a perfect amount. He’s the master of knowing how to push things almost too far. ... I did some co-production on “Power.” I was the one who found that “21st Century Schizoid Man” sample and chopped it up.

L.A. Times: Where did that idea come from?

AD: Some random day I saw a T-shirt that reminded me of an album cover by King Crimson, and I went back and listened to that record. And Kanye and I were checking it out, and he ended up taking the sample and putting it in “Power.”

L.A. Times: What background or skill set do you bring to these kind of notable hip-hop artists that allows you to stand out in the production world?

AD: I’m a piano player, a guitar player and a songwriter, and I’m aware of all those aspects. So I can be different from other engineers where it’s purely a technical thing where they’re just trying to get the best sound. And I can sit back and say, "Yeah this sound is cool, but it doesn’t work with the arrangement. Maybe we should try it this way." I can anticipate a lot of times where an artist is wanting to go with a song and have arrangements and other things laid out before they even have to ask. It helps making their creativity flow as easy as possible.

L.A. Times: What aspects of the album really challenged your skills?

AD: Kanye wanted to do a complete departure from the standard format of hip-hop albums. The cool thing for me was that I got to throw out all of those pop conventions where we had to have a four-minute song and have a hook come in the first minute. It was very free-form working on the album. So the key thing was trying to capture it without getting in the way and trying to let [West] express his ideas as easy as possible.

L.A. Times: What’s it like seeing some of the projects you’ve done this year -- like Kanye’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” and Drake’s “Thank Me Later” -- do as well as they have been given that you were behind the scenes helping to create them?

AD: It’s kind of cool for me to see people get excited about because it’s something I lived every day. So while the process is going on, I can feel the energy of how exciting and interesting it is, but it doesn’t really hit me until the album comes out. While I’m making the album I’m super critical and analytical and when it comes out, I’m like, "Now I can enjoy it" and be a bit detached from it.

L.A. Times: Where do you see yourself going next in terms of upcoming projects?

AD: I’ll be producing an album for P.O.S. He’s a friend of mine going all the way back to high school, and he just reached out to me earlier this year and said he wanted me to produce his entire album. So he and I are set to start working early in 2011 in L.A. to his follow-up album to “Never Better.” A lot of the mixes and the engineering I do are heavily production involved. I’ll do a lot of sound replacing or changing arrangements. I’ve worked on quite a few tracks as a producer, but sadly all of the artists on the label I worked with, nearly every one of them, were dropped or shelved. So I’m really excited to work with him on his album.

L.A. Times: Where does the "Fantasy" album fit in terms of career milestones for you as a sound engineer?

AD: This album puts the bar so high, working on such a creative album, it’s very interesting to see in my career what could top it. I’m not gonna say it couldn’t happen ... but it gives me a goal to work toward. (source)

Yelawolf L.A. Times Interview

L.A. Times: Being a white rapper is always going to engender Eminem comparisons even if you are half Native American. Have those grown tedious yet or have you just tried to take them in stride?

Yelawolf: I can't be mad at the comparisons because I'm still just getting my feet wet. I've got years to go before I establish a full concrete Yelawolf sound. Right now, I'm focused on saying what I have to say. I have to do Yelawolf right now and not worry about anything else. That said, I think it's a fair comparison. There haven't been many white artists in hip-hop, and there's only a handful that the average person knows about, so it is what it is.

L.A. Times: Your mixtape "Stereo" had a lot of recognizable classic-rock samples, which ostensibly would've brought you a lot of fans from people who were sucked in by the original source material. Yet it was "Trunk Muzik" that really got you traction. Why do you think "Stereo" didn't have that sort of success?

Yelawolf: Two things: The first is that not everybody in hip-hop [messes] with classic rock. The second is that there was no real element of surprise. I'm from Alabama, I'm into classic rock -- it was obvious and there was no shock-value to it.That said, I was really focused on making sure that people understood that I respected the craft and hip-hop. "Trunk Muzik" was dedicated to the trunk riders, with 808s and hard ass [stuff]. It had a dirty Southern sound, and it opened things up.

With "Stereo," we spent a lot of time digging around and trying to be really tasteful with the samples. I know a lot of people who [mess] with "Trunk Muzik" aren't into "Stereo," but I still love it -- it contains some of the favorite records I've ever done.

L.A. Times: Growing up in Gadsden and all over the South has obviously influenced your sound. Specifically, how do you think it affects your conception of the world and your music?

Yelawolf: My homies in Gadsden aren't as exposed as I am culturally, which is awesome -- that's why I love going home. I'm in the kitchen with people who don't know anything but the simple life, what's important to them, and what's dope. That's why like I'm so drawn to the culture of Alabama -- of rednecks and all that hardcore dirty South culture because I understand it. It's so simple -- it's really black and white. That's the way that life should be. We really complicate our situation.

L.A. Times: The South isn't known for its cipher culture, but you use a double-time speed rap flow that could be Midwestern were it not for your drawl. What were your experiences like learning to rap?

Yelawolf: It was always rapping in the car -- me and my boys -- freestyling and being horrible. The only time it ever became serious to me was when I would write and then flow to instrumentals in the car, and my friends would be like, "Whoa man, you got verses." It spawned from there, it eventually got more and more serious and I developed my own style.

L.A. Times: How frustrating was it when Rick Rubin came aboard at Columbia and dropped you? You'd think that the guy who produced the Beastie Boys and "Raising Hell" would have wanted to work with you.

Yelawolf: I was like, "You don’t get it, cool? Then I guess I must be extra special." I had to be arrogant because I could've been messed up thinking that if he didn't want me, I must have nothing to offer. But that's not like me. I refuse to be like that. I've always been stubborn. I have to learn things myself, but it worked out OK -- I ended up at Interscope only a few years later.

L.A. Times: Do you worry that Interscope will force you to write pop rap songs or else you'll be unable to get your album released?

Yelawolf: If you look at my discography of music, you'll know that I can go any direction – whether it's arena rap or bluegrass hip-hop. I would never assign myself one style. If I make a record that becomes a pop hit -- who [cares]. I'm always gonna have the darker edgy music in my pocket because it comes so natural to me. You’ll never stop getting records like "Pop the Trunk" and "Good to Go." The crunk South [stuff] will always be a part of what I do in some way. But I plan on evolving -- you have to.

The integrity of my music is always in mind. I'm out to make lifelong lasting records. I know what the underground is. I’ve been there for a long time. You never really know what will break or what won't. If "Pop the Trunk" had had huge marketing behind it to put it on radio and video channels, it might've become a hit.

L.A. Times: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?

Yelawolf: Willie Nelson. I really want to work with all the legends before it's too late.
(source)

Bone Thugs N Harmony: Flesh N Bone LA Times Interview On Working With Eazy, 2Pac And Biggie

L.A. Times: Did you expect such a large homecoming when you were released from prison?

Flesh N Bone: It was something that we’d talked about, but I didn't know that it was going to go down, and certainly not with all of the Bones, my moms, my pops, and my in-laws. They were all right there on a 12 passenger tour bus and we went straight to the studio. It's been like that for the last year and nine months. We've been on the road and we're making progress with our music. Not to mention the hundreds of songs that we have in the archives. It's been nothing but constant work -- we're trying to keep focused on doing big business.

L.A. Times: How is the dynamic different with the group these days?

Flesh N Bone: The dynamic is a lot different. I'm divorced and re-married now with a new 8-month-old son. There was a lot of focus on us at the beginning. We were kids in our late teens and early 20s, and we saw the wealth, the fame, the status and the hype of the industry. Everything was going thousands of miles an hour, and it took for me to go through what I had to go through for us to understand that what we’re dealing with is a bona fide business.

Of course, it's still fun, but we’re such mature adults now and we can appreciate the gift and the blessing of being able to do this. We realize that not everything is promised to us. For me to come out of prison and be able to return to this is something that I'm so grateful for. I was reckless at 25 years old, I was reckless at 18, I'm not that reckless anymore. I look at this as white collar, something that feeds generations. It's really serious today.

L.A. Times: During your time in jail, how cognizant of the group's fortunes were you, and were you constantly focused on what you were going to do when you got out?

Flesh N Bone: The focus was definitely there. I was praying really hard for them to be able to keep it together, and for Bizzy to overcome any obstacles that he’d been going through. Thankfully, we’re all still well and alive today. For me to get torn away from the group, Layzie, Krayzie and Wish did an exceptional job to keep them rocking and rolling. There was never an instance when they weren't successful just because one or two members weren’t there -- what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

I wasn't able to keep tabs on them as closely as I would've liked, but I know everyone always had open arms for Bizzy and that the mic was always waiting for him. But now, he's back and at home. We promised the fans that Bizzy would be on this album and we made it happen. There's been a lot of ups and down with us, but it's still Bone Thugs being Bone Thugs. We're always individuals and humble and recognizing and empathizing and sympathizing with our fans.

L.A. Times: Eazy-E was the first one to put Bone Thugs on. What was it about him that made you target him when you were trying to get a deal?

Flesh N Bone: We always felt that special connection with Eric "Eazy-E" Wright. Even though we were speaking with other labels, our heart was always set on contacting Eazy. He was the underdog and he created his own category. He was the first one to bring the aggressive street mentality to the game, and he was an innovator who deserves to go down in hip hop history as one of the godfathers of rap. He was a genius in his own right -- in those two years with him, we learned so much. He taught us about the business and its etiquette, marketing and how to promote. The key was that you can't make money without the music. He was a creative genius and a very wise man. He spoke very elegantly.

L.A. Times: Bone Thugs also was the only group to collaborate with The Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, and Big Punisher. How did those songs come about?

Flesh N Bone: With Biggie, we had and continue to have a great relationship with Puffy, so when they were in town they invited us over to the studio to work with him. I was actually supposed to have a verse on "Notorious Thugs" but it was too long as it was -- however, I was able to kick it there in the studio and enjoy Biggie and Puffy's company.

We met 2Pac through our close relationship with the Outlawz. 2Pac had met Bizzy first and immediately the two of them developed a bond and went to the studio to work together. It was Bizzy who set it all up. I was actually the one who met Big Pun. It came when I was in New York and getting ready to do a song with Fat Joe on my debut solo album, and he brought Pun along. He actually wrote the hook, but I didn't even know who Pun was until he spit his lyrics. A lot of people don't know that he actually got his industry debut on my solo album.

L.A. Times: So now that the tour is over, what's next for Bone Thugs?

Flesh N Bone: We’re going to get back home, get some rest, get back in the lab and continue that mission. We've working on a treatment for a script about the real life story story of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Los Angeles is the home base these days, and we're trying to get our feet wet in feature film projects, as well as a Bone Thugs book. Of course, the music is always in effect. (source)

Kurupt: Los Angeles Times Interview

L.A. Times: You haven’t released a solo album in nine years. What made you decide that the time was right now, and what made you turn to Terrace Martin to do the lion’s share of production?

Kurupt: Terrace and I have been working together for quite some time, and I felt he deserved the opportunity to produce an entire album. He brought the best out of me musically. I’ve always liked to work with one producer for my albums, from Dre to Daz to Soopafly to Quik. I got this idea for the record one night when I was leaving the club and I saw the streetlights go out one by one as I was driving home. I felt like it was a metaphor for life passing me by, so I went to Terrace and said that we had to make an album together to make sure that that didn’t happen.

L.A. Times: During most of the last decade, it seemed that a lot of veteran '90s rappers had trouble finding their own lane or even consistently releasing music. But over the last two years, it seems like yourself and a lot of your peers have returned to form. What happened and why the sudden resurgence?

Kurupt: I think everybody was going through something, I know I was. In a sense, it’s just life and you get upset, and you respond. Everybody seemed like they were going through a hiatus where they were trying to figure it all out. I was trying to figure out who I was in real life. No one likes to hear a real life story unless they can see it, or digitalize it, or be a part of it musically. Sometimes you go through a hiatus and you shut down and do what you do. I’d experienced a separation from myself, Ricardo Brown and Kurupt, the artist.

L.A. Times: What did you take away from that hiatus?

Kurupt: I learned that I had to raise my kids. I had to make music for grown folks. It’s made for the kids too but it’s made for the adults primarily. I don’t make music for 14-year-olds anymore. I’ve learned a lot from the experiences I’ve had in this ball game. I’m damn near 20 years deep. In the end, I learned that you have to be patient. It’s not always about the music, it’s not always personal, I had to learn how to separate the two.

L.A. Times: Your collaboration with Quik connected with a lot of people. What did you take away from working with him?

Kurupt: I learned that patience is a virtue, that it’s OK to take your time and allow artists to do what they want to do. Artists do their best work when they’re in a comfortable spot. With the Quik project, we knew that we wanted to go some other place, without samples and B.S. We knew that it would turn out big.

L.A. Times: Your name continually pops up on greatest rappers lists. If you were going to compile your own best rapper’s list, who would be on it.

Kurupt: Rakim and Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool, Ice Cube. Those were my favorites when I was coming up. (source)

Common Explains His Role In "Just Wright" New Movie

via AZ Central

You might have spotted Common, the Grammy-winning rapper and actor, at the recent Suns-Lakers game at US Airways Center. He also took part in the Suns Celebrity Shoot Out game.

And you'll probably be seeing trailers of the Chicago native's first starring role in a movie opposite Queen Latifah in "Just Wright," which opens May 14.

Common plays Scott McKnight, a franchise point guard for the New Jersey Nets. McKnight suffers a career-threatening injury and then finds himself falling for the physical therapist (Latifah) who is trying to rescue his career.

He's a pretty good fit for the part. His father, Lonnie Lynn, is a former pro basketball player who had a brief career with the Pittsburgh Pipers of the American Basketball Association.

The Heat Index caught up with Common to ask him about his new movie and whether he inherited his dad's hoop skills.

THI: Let's start with a synopsis of "Just Wright."

Common: "It's the story of a basketball player who gets injured and basically his career is almost gone. A physical therapist nurses him back to health and during the process he learns what love is really about.

"He has the total NBA wife. She has the cliché look of a pro athlete's wife and it becomes a love triangle and a Cinderella story.

"I love telling this story. We in America put so much on the traditional look of beauty. Women are supposed to be thin, have long hair, just this kind of shape. But beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and really it starts from the inside.

"And I said, 'Man, I better get this part playing an NBA player now. Pretty soon I'll be at the age where I have to play the coach.' "

THI: Is it true you were once a Chicago Bulls ball boy?

Common: "Yeah, my dad knew Rod Thorn (then the general manager of the Bulls) from when he played in the ABA, so they hired me. I was the ball boy from 1984-86 so I got to be there when Michael Jordan got there. And I got to meet guys like Magic and Isiah Thomas, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley."

THI: Did you learn anything from seeing those guys up close that helped with the character?

Common: "It definitely helped me understand a little more what NBA players go through, but what really helped was hanging around one of my guys, Baron Davis of the Clippers. I also talked to Rajon Rondo about it. I met him doing a show in Boston. I did a little freestyle on the Celtics and said something about Rondo. He happened to be there, so I guess it was a good thing it was positive!

"We had a good vibe. He's a good guy and I love his game."

THI: Do you have a basketball-playing background, other than the celebrity games?

Common: "I played all the way up to my junior year in high school and then I got injured. I got poked in the eye and it cut my eye. I was out for two months and that's when I started getting into music.

"When I came back, I wasn't getting any playing time anymore. I said, 'I guess I'll go over here and rap.' It's amazing how destiny takes you where you're supposed to be."

THI: How so?

Common: "My dream was to play in the NBA. I have this trainer I work with and he was telling me, 'You'd just be a mediocre guy in the NBA. You wouldn't be doing what you're doing.' He was absolutely right.

"As an actor, I get to become these different people. I'm very passionate about acting, but I also get to play an NBA player, so that's two dreams in one. And for a month and a half, I was in the NBA."

THI: Even if it was with the Nets . . .

Common: "Yeah, and the Nets could use a Scott McKnight right now!"

Arabian Prince: N.W.A. Original Member Fact Finding Interview

via Phoenix New Times

People Don't Know: A lot of guys in the picture weren't actually making music at the time they posed on the cover.

Arabian Prince: "A lot of them, they were just homies from the neighborhood and we were like, 'Hey, we taking a photo. Y'all wanna go?' And they were like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah,'" he says. "It was just a random photo. None of the cats, at that time, were doing anything. And any of those guys who moved on to do music after that . . . It was probably a direct thing from being on that album cover."

In fact, these dudes were put together so randomly that Arabian can't even identify the guy standing on his right.

"The guy next to me, I don't even know."



People Don't Know: "Panic Zone" was N.W.A's first single only because the group was scared to go gangsta right off the bat.

Arabian Prince: "'Panic Zone' was the first single because me and Dre came from the electro background and we knew that there was no way in hell that we were going to get any of that gangsta stuff played on the radio, and we wanted to make sure we got it to the DJs and got some radio play just so people would know we were there. And so, we were like, 'Hey, let's do some dance records' because we knew we could get this played because that's what people knew us from before," he says. "So we did 'Panic Zone' and that's what got us on KDAY [AM 1580, Los Angeles]. And, after that, once the gangsta stuff blew up, KDAY was like, 'Eh, well I guess we gotta play it if you've got the clean versions.' So we had to go back and do clean versions, and that's how it got on the radio."

People Don't Know: N.W.A. and the Posse was pretty much a scam by the group's first record company, Macola.

Arabian Prince: "The first record we ever did was called N.W.A. -- it wasn't called N.W.A and the Posse, it was just called N.W.A. -- and it was an EP with four or five songs on it. Then we left Macola Records to go to Priority Records. Macola, they were thieves at the time; they ripped everybody off. So when we left, they went back and took our EP and put a bunch of other crap on there -- that wasn't even us -- and called it N.W.A. and the Posse and turned it into an album."

People Don't Know: N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton lineup didn't have much street cred.

Arabian Prince: "Eazy was the only one in the hood who was really a real gangsta -- doing the drug thing, doing everything else. All the rest of us were just DJs. We were producers, we had done a lot of records, and that's how the whole thing came together. Cube wasn't actually doing anything. He was in school [in Phoenix] until we brought him back. Ren was just Eazy's boy; he lived down the street from him. And, I mean, Ren wasn't really banging, but he was probably the next closest thing to Eric (Eazy). If you had to go in order it would be Eric, Ren, then probably me and Dre because he grew up in Compton. So did I. It wasn't like we were pushovers, but we weren't no gangstas. Then I would go probably Ice Cube, then Yella. Yella was about as far from gangsta as you could possibly get. He was more close to freakin' Morris Day and the Time."



People Don't Know: Being famous is over-rated.

Arabian Prince: Arabian Prince is, was, and always will be a businessman. Unlike a lot of guys involved in the loose early days of the group -- when everyone contributed what they could in the studio (often without getting a writing credit) -- he filed lawsuits to collect his share of the group's royalties.

"I made so much money back then 'cuz I still got all my royalties off of everything. I had to sue them and do some other stuff, but I got it," he says. "I never was the cat that wanted the fame -- I've been making records since I was in school -- so I always wanted to behind the scenes. And so when I had the opportunity to kinda duck back behind the scenes, that's what I did."

Prince says he has plenty of money as a result but also doesn't fear for his safety the way so many guys from the gangsta rap scene do.

"I have no enemies. I can go anywhere, walk down the street, play golf. I can go to the mall, I can go to these events with these cats. I DJ all around the world. I just have fun, man. I think that's the life, man. You've got to be able to enjoy your money and your success and not [have] TMZ is all up in your face every time you get out of your car. Or every time you go to the club, you've got to have a bodyguard because people are trying to get after you."

K'naan Guardian UK Newspaper Feature Story & Interview

The Somali-born rapper K'naan arrives at the K West, the west London hotel much loved by today's rock stars looking half the part: hip-hop fly in his cardigan but also shy, fresh from shooting a video with the band Keane, prepping himself for a wearying flight out of Heathrow to Mozambique. He is on the cusp of global recognition now that his song "Wavin' Flag" has been chosen (by sponsors Coca-Cola) as the official anthem of this summer's World Cup in South Africa. It's an uplifting song which "fits their theme of trying to see the positive in people, and the positive in Africa", he says; but it's a surprising choice, too, not simply because it demonstrates considerable good taste on the part of Coca-Cola, but because K'naan himself is not the most obvious poster boy for such an event.

K'naan is 31 and reaching a far wider audience than he ever imagined possible. The video he's been making with Keane marks his appearance as a guest on their new EP ("He's just ultra cool," says their singer Tom Chaplin. "Very down to earth, as well as being just an incredible wordsmith."); recently, Jay-Z came to one of his concerts, and later emailed to say of "Wavin' Flag", "Congratulations, you just made an anthem for a generation."

Nonetheless, there is still a huge vulnerability to him. "I'm an optimist about other people," he says to me at one point. "I'm not an optimist about myself. Before I went to Somalia last year I didn't know if I could write another album.

Read the full article here:
Guardian UK - K'naan: 'My success is their success'

DJ Krush: Famed Japanese Hip Hop DJ, Producer Japan Times Interview

Japan Times: What do you feel has been your greatest achievement over the course of your 20-year career?

DJ Krush: There were a lot of difficulties, but I think the greatest achievement is that I've actually continued! I've never been able to speak English, but using my music there are people all over the world that are waiting for me. That is truly something incredible. In this way, I feel there are no boundaries — that there is a common empathy. And when I go to a country and my fans tell me, "We were waiting!" — when I hear this — I'm really glad that I'm doing this.

Japan Times: What exactly inspired you when you first saw "Wild Style"?

DJ Krush: I really liked music, and was in a band in junior high school, but I couldn't find the type of music I really wanted to do. In "Wild Style," things are utilized that you can find at home, like a turntable and records, and my father had records, so it seemed like something I could do straight away. And also, I could get a real feeling of the street off it.

Japan Times: How did you "become" a DJ? Obviously you weren't taught . . .

DJ Krush: There was absolutely no information in those days, and now there are things like DJ school! There was nothing like that back then, so I bought the video and watched a DJ scratching on repeat. I tried to figure it out like that and that was how I learned. At the time you couldn't buy the kind of mixers that they were using in the film, so I ended up buying a totally different mixer, which I remember really struggling with.

Japan Times: And were you doing hip-hop from the start?

DJ Krush: I was listening to 1970s and '80s funk and rock, and then slowly incorporating hip-hop.

Japan Times: How long did it take for you to develop your own DJing style?

DJ Krush: I'm still looking for it, even though I've been DJing for 20 years now.

Japan Times: How has the Japanese hip-hop scene developed over the years?

DJ Krush: I'm not really all that interested in the mainstream scene which is saturated with commercialism, but I really get the impression that there has been an increase in DJs and talented young people who want to manifest their own individuality and who have developed their own originality. Initially, hip-hop was a culture that was born in America, right? So the scene was imitating that. As the years went on, people started developing a sense of originality, an individuality that only they had. Not only DJs, but also rappers who were rapping in Japanese. I saw an increase in young people reflecting on things that were actually happening in their own country, not just copying gangs with guns.

Japan Times: You tour a lot with DJ Kentaro, but who are the other notable up-and-coming DJs in Japan.

DJ Krush: Oh, there are many now, but Kentaro won the DMC DJ championships (in 2002, aged 20), so I really think he has a certain groove that only he is capable of. I think Japanese are quite talented, so I really hope from now on that there are young people who want to participate on an international level.

Japan Times: Is your music more popular overseas than locally?

DJ Krush: I go overseas a lot, so maybe the level of recognition is higher overseas.

Japan Times: Why is that?

DJ Krush: I really feel the way that the crowd that accepts you abroad is slightly different than in Japan. They decide what they like and what they think is good for themselves, whereas in Japan, they don't make their own decisions; it's more like someone tells them it's good. If it's on TV that a CD is good, or if everyone says that it's good, they go out and buy it; they don't make their own selections.

Japan Times: People who meet you say you are really modest. Is it important to keep a humble attitude?

DJ Krush: Yeah, I don't really like the "me, me" attitude, and I can't really understand it. I wonder why people end up like that? Before that happens, I really think I have so much to do because people are really watching. I just think that I have a long way to go and that I haven't become the king yet.

Japan Times: Is it necessary to not feel satisfied as an artist?

DJ Krush: I really feel grateful to a lot of people that I have been able to come this far. For me to be able to go all over the world is really something I'm happy about, and there is more depth to music — it's so vast and free. So there is still a lot to pursue.

Read the full DJ Krush Interview here:
Japan Times - DJ Krush spins some tales

Producer RedOne On 'We Are The World' Involvement L.A. Times Interview

L.A. Times: How did you become involved with the remake?

RedOne: I got a call last minute from Lionel Richie asking me to come up with a track for the song.

L.A. Times: Just like that?

RedOne: Yeah. It was like a dream-come-true kind of phone call, you know? He’s a friend of mine. He’s always been supportive of my music. He’s always given me advice on how to do things. He’s been like a big brother to me. So I got a call from him and Quincy [Jones, who produced the original single] saying I should do a version of this. I did, last minute. I was so nervous. I had nightmares. Thank God I delivered. The next day, we went to play the song for Quincy. There were a few people who tried different versions. But Quincy said, “Your version is by far the best.” So that was pretty nice.

L.A. Times: A huge roster of stars participated.

RedOne: Yeah. We recorded after the Grammys [where RedOne took home two trophies for his work with Lady Gaga], so that helped. All the stars were in town. It was an experience of a lifetime. The funny thing is, a few months ago, me and Lionel were at the same studio and he was telling me all these stories about the original “We Are the World.” About how magical it was … all these huge names in the same room. He was like, “Those things don’t happen every day.” I was listening like a little kid. The next thing you know, I’m experiencing it. … it was like the next generation. To be chosen as the producer from this generation to do it, it was incredible.

L.A. Times: What was the vibe like with so many big stars in one room?

RedOne: It was a nice spirit. This thing isn’t about me as a producer or the artists as artists. It was about helping Haiti. It was like how Quincy said, “Check your egos at the door.” Everybody was helping.

L.A. Times: How do you manage all those voices?

L.A. Times: In the studio, we had a few rooms. We didn’t have a lot of time. We had one day when everyone could do it. We were doing different vocals in different rooms. The choir, we did it live with everyone there.

L.A. Times: As a producer, what was it like to be part of remaking something that has such a huge legacy?

RedOne: I think that's why Quincy and Lionel asked me. They wanted someone current but someone who would stay true to the first one. Honestly, I didn’t want to change too much. I have too much respect for the original. It's such a classic. I kept the magic and the musicality of the first one and just gave it a little fresher sound for the audience of now, so the new generation could appreciate it.

L.A. Times: I’m sure you felt a lot of pressure taking on the project.

RedOne: Oh, of course. My God. The pressure was big. But having people like Lionel and Quincy -- the most humble people who were very supportive -- helped. They gave me directions. But it was a lot of pressure. I told you, I had nightmares. Thank God they loved it. I was living a dream.

L.A. Times: Did you feel the spirit of Michael Jackson that day?

RedOne: Absolutely. Michael was a charity person. He loved helping people. He loved it. He loved helping anybody who needed it. And, of course, the spirit of Michael was there with us. We felt his energy. And with what’s going on in Haiti, I mean, that’s why we were all there. Nobody was thinking about their ego. This was about Haiti. Like Jaime Foxx, he told me … Jamie Foxx came to me and said “Red, don’t worry about me. I’m here for as long as you need me. Do your thing. If someone wants to sing first, I’ll wait.” There was a lot of that. Good spirit and positivity.

L.A. Times: Did you ever think that you'd be working with Tony Bennett on a track? Or so many of the other artists?

RedOne: Right! There was Wyclef, Tony, Celine, Akon, Barbra Streisand. I would never have thought it was possible. It’s incredible. Just sitting with Quincy Jones and Lionel in one room -- it’s beyond comprehension. And it’s all to help a country. The main idea is to touch people’s hearts. To send a message: help, help, help. We tried to perfect our creativity to transmit that to people because music is the No. 1 thing that unites people. We just want to raise as much money as possible for Haiti. (source)

Freeway: Philidelphia Hometown Newspaper Feature Interview

via Philadelphia Daily News

What made you decide on the name "The Stimulus Package" for this album?

I feel as though our whole operation is hip-hop recovery. We want to bring back the real hip-hop to the forefront. That's why we call it "The Stimulus Package." We're stimulating hip-hop.

How did you originally hook up with Jake One?

I did some work with Jake One on my last project, "Free At Last," and I also did some work with him on his last album, "White Van Music." The chemistry was there. And after those albums, he continued to send me music and I kept knocking songs out, so we were like, "let's do an album together," and we made it happen.

In the past you worked with a number of different producers on each project. How was it working with just one?

It was cool. It was exciting. He did a good job with the production and everything turned out crazy.

What was it like working with Rhymesayers in contrast to Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam?

It's more intimate. I feel as though Rhymesayers worked closer with me on the project and were more hands-on with things. Def Jam is different from that.

On the album, you shouted out to the Roc-A-Fella and your State Property family frequently, and had tracks featuring Sparks, Young Chris and Beanie Siegel as well. Is this the sign of another State Property album in the future?

I mean, hopefully we can get it done. Right now there's no plans, but hopefully with projects like this, there will be a push forward for us to do another State Property project.

How did some of the other collaborations come together?

I just reached out to them and they showed the love. I bumped into Birdman in Miami, him and my man Cee Lo. I told them I needed them on the album and [they were] like, let's do it. I reached out to Raekwon because I had actually done some work on a project of his, and then he did that with me. Everybody from State Property, you know that's family, so it's all love.

What was your favorite song on the album?

I like the whole thing, man. It's a body of work that needs to be together. The way it flows together, everything fits perfect.

On "Throw Your Hands Up" you pay homage to a number of influential hip-hop artists. Who would you say has been the most influential in your career?

I used to like Naughty (By Nature). I used to like Trech a lot. I used to love Dres from Black Sheep. Just their flows, the different flows you know? They really inspired me.

Tell us about your tour plans?

We've got a couple of things in the works. First we're gonna start with album release parties. We've got [them] in Philly, Boston and New York. Then we're going to take it from there.

What can fans expect from Freeway in 2010 and beyond?

I don't even know right now. Right now I can't see past "Stimulus Package." We're just trying to make that successful. Then we're going to figure out what's the next move ... I'm definitely still working. I'm already 50 songs in toward the next project, so whatever that is, I'm going to be ready.

Read the full article here:
Philadelphia Daily News - Music: North Philly's Freeway is back in the fast lane