Spilt Magazine is a unique approach to visual and literary arts, embodying the principles of equality, compassion, and expression. We are aiming to provide a bi-annual in-print visual and literary arts magazine as well a bi-annual videozine that provides an outlet for art that doesn't have one. This means two things: we are an outlet for art from people who do not normally get published- immigrants, senior citizens, people in poverty, graffiti artists, the youth, and everyday people; and we are an outlet for art that defies any definition, new and experimental art that pushes boundaries. In an effort to educate people that everyone creates beautiful works of art despite our differences, we hope to connect our readers with people across the boundaries we have made for ourselves in today's world, and bridge the disconnect that plagues today's society with something we all have in common: art.
Spilt Magazine's first print edition came out this past September!
You can order a print copy online for $7 and get a free digital copy, or just buy the digital copy for only $1.
http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/181141
Spilt Magazine's first videozine came out this past January!
You can watch the entire thing online now!
http://vimeo.com/35677522
If you’re at all involved in the Twin Cities hip hop scene, it’s likely you know Zach Combs aka Big Zach aka New MC, and it’s likely he’s got your back. This veteran rapper has been hustling and grinding from the South Side of Minneapolis for almost twenty years, drawing in new fans and staying loyal to old ones. He is possibly the most qualified person on the hip hop scene to write the book on it, and in fact, he has. He’s the frontman for one of the longest-running rap crews in Minnesota history, Kanser, and has lately gotten some attention on the festival circuit with his live-band hip hop group, More Than Lights. But Big Zach is more than that, you can often find him posting flyers around town or coming out to support the next generation of rappers. An embodiment of what it means to be an emcee, Zach has been one of the most prolific hosts in the state, mentor to many younger rappers, part of crews and live bands, and had an accomplished solo career. Now he can add published author to his list of accomplishments with his new book, Headspin, Headshots & History: Growing Up In Twin Cities Hip Hop, which was published this past December by No Static Records. We talked with Zach to get the story behind the book, and what it meant to be such a big part of hip hop in Minnesota.
“I started writing it about five and a half years ago, but I never had no training, I never had no writing classes or any training, and I didn’t do that well in high school, so my grammar was pretty terrible. But three or four years ago, a young dude named Josh Holmgren hollered at me, he was asking me hella questions about the hip hop scene, and I told him I had a book written. Josh took it and started editing it, Josh didn’t go to school for book editing or English or anything, but he could hook it up a lot more than I had it hooked up. Then we worked on it, we worked on it, we worked on it, and we finally got it together. It was a long process, just because we didn’t know what we were doing.â€
Hip hop in the Twin Cities has blossomed into one of the most unique rap scenes in the nation, and happens to be one of the most encouraging zones for independent musicians. This atmosphere has cultivated artists who push the envelope and perfect the craft, but there is also an incredibly rich history behind the hip hop scene we see today. Aside from an article here or there, hip hop in the Twin Cities has been relatively undocumented, and Zach did a very thorough job from a unique perspective.
“At this point in 2011, a lot of kids, a lot of younger artists look at us like we’re pioneers, we’re legendary artists, we’re old rappers who’ve been around, but in the early nineties, groups like Kanser and groups like Heiruspecs, groups like Oddjobs, were the original enlarging fanbase to older rappers such as Musab and Urban Atmosphere and The Abstract Pack. So not only do we have the status fifteen years later as veterans from the hip hop scene, in truth though we were some of the original fans.â€
Though some of the very early pioneers on the scene came around before Big Zach’s time, the book touches on every aspect of hip hop in Minnesota, from its seasoned veterans to newcomers, and never fails to give a fair viewpoint, even when personal beef and mishaps might have soured relationships. However, Headspin, Headshots & History is much more than a history book. With a keen sense for storytelling and a knack for getting himself into wild situations, Zach has riveting and hilarious stories to tell about every rapper to grace the Minnesota music scene, and he enlivens each chapter with a few first-hand accounts that will keep you glued to the pages.
“I was like, I’m gonna write it from completely my perspective so I can tie in dumb stories about my life to keep it entertaining, such as the one night there was this underground hip hop rap battle in this warehouse and on the bus ride there my homeboy got jacked for a bag of weed on the bus, which really happened and I think I took it out of the book, but to add a little personality to it, and then I can tell it from my perspective.â€
In addition to the relatively neglected history of hip hop, Zach delves into an even more undocumented culture: the Minnesota graffiti scene. He pays homage to the most legendary writers in the city, and gives a solid background to something deeply ingrained in hip hop culture.
“When I was a teenager I grew up taking graffiti photos around the twin cities, but all my pictures got stolen in a drug raid years ago, and this kid name Philly from South Side paid for my photos to get re-developed. I kept the negatives, so we were able to get pictures in the book too.â€
Anyone could dig around on the internet and piece together a timeline of the Twin Cities’ hip hop history, but it takes someone who has completely devoted their lives to hip hop purely for the love of the art, to write a book this deep and on-point. As you read the book, you see Minnesota hip hop shift and change and continue to blossom into a beautiful thing, but you also see Big Zach mature as an artist and as a person, and you see him make relationships and help build the scene. This first person account makes the book not just a history textbook, but a well-crafted novel as well.
“For my story one of the key people in my evolution was Ant, who later on became the producer/DJ for Atmosphere. His story is a big part of the book, and I focus on more of the popular rappers. There’s a lot about Slug and people, even though there’s not a lot of background about him, just things about his career in the early days, there are stories of Brother Ali, and a lot of stories from Doomtree. I focused on more of the popular rappers so people would be interested in reading it, so that they would read about the 200 other characters that they might not have ever heard of who are just as important in our hip hop.â€
There are even a few lessons to be learned between its pages. With his eternally-positive mentality, Zach drops plenty of wisdom, whether it’s through a brush with heaven on a festival mushroom trip or a brush with death in a close-call car accident. There are a couple key points that he makes about hip hop that stick out and cut deep to the heart of hip hop here and everywhere.
“I know race issues can be touchy, but we have a beautiful hip hop scene in Minnesota, and a lot of the audiences happen to be not from the city and happen to be Caucasian, which is beautiful, but if you’re part of that, say you’re from the suburbs, you’re a richer kid and you just happen to be white and you’re super into hip hop, that’s fresh, that’s dope, I just want you to read and find out that twenty years ago the scene was all inner-city African-American, that’s where it came from. Also I want to tell a lot of stories of where stuff came from. There were a couple rappers who were pioneers at the beginning that your average Minnesota rap band doesn’t know about that passed away early or before their time, I want them to know about their stories and that they helped everybody.â€
The book is an overdue treat for fans of hip hop in Minnesota, and diehard fans and newcomers alike will struggle to put it down. You’re guaranteed to learn a thing or two about your favorite rapper, and hear plenty of stories from your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper: Big Zach. It’s a blessing that the stories of how the Minnesota hip hop scene developed have been finally captured and preserved, and the next generation of rappers and fans are sure to be inspired. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on this book, and discover the rich history and depth behind one of the most vibrant independent hip hop scenes around.
Headspin, Headshots & History: Growing Up In Twin Cities Hip Hop can be purchased at nostaticrecords.com, in-store at Electric Fetus or Mindstate, or you can catch Big Zach hustling around the South Side with a backpack full of ‘em.
Peyote is part of a new wave of street artists rising to prominence in the Minneapolis art scene, such as Deuce 7, Wundr, Von Shank, HOTTEA, Adept, and many others who have bent the rules of graffiti and redefined street art in the Twin Cities.
Besides displaying his art alongside some of the best artists in the scene, such as Barry McGee, Neck Face, and even Ozzy Osbourne, Peyote is affiliated with brands like Blood is the New Black and artists like Mr. Dibbs and Nobuddy. With a distinct style that will make you stop and stare for hours, Peyote is an artist to take note of. Although he mixes it up between paintings, drawings, stickers, wheatpaste posters and more, his style is always recognizable and unmistakably unique. Each piece has infinite detail that looks like it was spewed from a nightmarish mescaline trip deep within the grimy heart of the Tijuana underworld. Somehow the gritty insanity that makes up his artwork comes together to make a flawless ghoulish image. We caught up with Peyote to see what’s behind the artwork and what’s going down in the graffiti underworld.
Peyote is an interesting name; does it number amongst one of your influences?
As far as influences, yeah I’ve done mescaline, and other hallucinogens; I hold peyote higher than others simply because it is a life changing experience and should be viewed as such, I’m not a fuckin’ hippy though and don’t get it twisted.
Do you have any early memories of hip hop or street art that stick out in your memory?
Yeah I guess when I was in 6th grade I got thrown in the back of a squad car for stealing a Busta Rhymes CD, does that count? Nothing really came out of it they just kind of taught me how not to get caught, I suppose that’s the earliest memory of anything hip hop…
You’ve worked artistically with some rappers, like Nobuddy and Mr.Dibbs of Rhymesayers and Machina Muerte, how does hip hop influence your artwork?
I don’t know if it directly influences my work but I will say without music we would be nowhere whether anyone wants to admit it, well that’s another thing entirely.
What other aspects of life influence your work?
Probably people I meet all the time, I have always lived or surrounded myself with people who aren’t afraid of the seedy underbelly of life, I think that has always been an inspiration for me to draw the way I do, mostly people who just come in and out of my life or hang out in my area i.e. prostitutes, drug dealers, drug addicts, heavy metal kids, small time rappers, graffiti people who can pretty much fit any of the latter.
How has moving around influenced your art, how have the different regions contributed?
I would say that each place had a different effect on me, as far as the way I draw things I definitely owe it to Mexico for the patterning and the way I draw. I’ve heard a lot of people say it also reminds them of Oaxacan folk art which I like a lot and also Huichol Indian art or the peyoteros. I think that Southwestern American Indian art has also contributed to some of my style so it’s a pretty mixed bag at this point.
With such intricate works, can you describe the process behind one of your pieces?
Difficult question, really there is a starting point and I continue from that point outwards, I don’t usually plan the finished product to look a certain way unless it’s a paid illustration and there is a certain goal, you have to make money somewhere, but in my personal art it just works itself out, basically not much of a process.
What mediums do you typically work with?
Preferably above all, I would have to just say black ink on white paper or white ink on black paper, I see the world that way I think I have always been a person of extremes so this seems the best way to interpret the world, frankly I have a very hard time with color.
You do both street art and studio art; do you prefer one over the other?
They’re both good, both can get you places, it’s really how hard do you want to work at either one, what would you like to risk; I like both the same to answer your question. I’ve never been a person to say, “oh this dude is more legit, look how much he has bombed.†So what, who cares? If you are good you’re good I don’t care how you do it, just what it looks like, this world doesn’t need more trash so please don’t add to it.
What is the Minneapolis street art scene like? How does it compare to the art scene in other cities you’ve been to?
First and foremost, I would say Minneapolis street art scene is pretty crippled, you can owe that to a heavy buff, tough law enforcement on graffiti/street art and just the winter. All of it contributes negatively to what people are doing. Also as far as better cities top three: NEW YORK, MELBOURNE AND BARCELONA.
How do you think art and hip hop coincide, and how are they important to each other?
Same thing, different medium maybe. I guess I listened to a lot more hip-hop growing up now it seems like I almost reverted to shittier music for the lack of a better term…
Have you had any run-ins with law enforcement concerning your art?
Actually just the other day I was chased but luckily didn’t get caught, I consider myself a lucky person although I’m sure there is just something much worse than getting arrested awaiting me.
Do you think there’s something that musicians can learn from the street artist ethic?
I guess be prolific? Should get somewhere eventually. That’s a pretty big law.
What do you want people to take away from your artwork?
Whatever they like, I don’t want people to make assumptions about the person who made it more than anything. I would rather they just take away something personal that they can relate to, if they can at all.
What do you have in the works right now?
Yeah I have a show in NYC December 15th at Pandemic Gallery in Crooklyn. Come see it if you can, lots of great people on the roster including but not exclusive to, FARO, 27, DR.CRAB, OZE 108, GEN 2 the list goes on…
Any last thoughts or shout outs?
Yeah shout out to Steakmob, Palmetto Family, RIP CHARLIE MARKS, my good friend Elberto Mueller who just put out a book titled “The Autopsy of 2009″, awesome read cop it on Amazon.com, and my biological family of course as well as anybody who is behind me, you all know who you are.
When somebody does something really truly different, people notice. This is the case of Culture Cry Wolf, a genre-defying group out of Minneapolis that has been hustling harder than most over the past couple years and is gearing up to release their first full album, Dia de los Muertos. Eclectic doesn’t even begin to describe them; they seamlessly blend anything from punk to rap to salsa, and bring an unprecedented energy to both their recorded music and live shows. Each member brings the group different musical talents and influences, and their musical diversity makes them something completely new. The new album is sure to reflect their unique sound and tireless work ethic, make sure you don’t miss out on it.
We caught up with their resident MC Botzy and lead singer/guitar Mike D to bring you the inside word on what makes up the unique Culture Cry Wolf sound in this extended Get Familiar session.
Tell us about a great music memory that you have.
Botzy: Culture Cry Wolf was playing an outdoor show with Prof and Soulcrate Music, in Soulcrate’s home town of Sioux Falls, SD. Prof had to cancel last minute, due to an insane injury…which made us as direct support for Soulcrate. We ended up playing for almost 800 people in the pouring rain. Such a blast!
How did you get started making music?
Botzy: In summer 2006 I moved from Massachusetts to Arizona, completely blind. Somewhere in the first 6 months, I met an artist by the name of KonGeror (now known as K. of Gahed Indie). I had never rapped a bar in my life, while K had already been creating music and cultivating relationships for years. In my first few years of making music, I was able to observe advice from Carnage, Ernest Rhodes, P.O.S. and Toki Wright, somewhat vicariously through K. I consider myself extremely lucky.
What are the differences between your solo efforts and working in a group?
Botzy: From a creative stand point, I find that both efforts continue to change. My first record Deaf to the Static had a darker undertone, while Culture Cry Wolf’s The Wesley Opus Sessions sounds like a summer EP. Oddly enough, both were written in parallel. My follow up mixtape My Friends and I displays a wide range of tracks, and is every song is a collaborative effort. Over all I adjust to whatever project I’m working on, and continue to grow because of that.
Did you move to AZ as an artist? Were you making music before the move?
Botzy: Before moving to Arizona, I had never played an instrument or rapped. I remember being younger, and wishing that I had “the ability to inspireâ€. I wrote a lot, poetry wise, but never anything to music.
What was your relationship with hip hop and rap like before you moved to AZ?
Botzy: I’ve been a hip hop head since 12 or 13. I was the kid in the high school with his headphones on, and I knew the lyrics to every song. I listened to a lot of mainstream, but I also consumed a ridiculous amount of indie hip-hop. For me, it’s always been that way: Get Rich or Die Tryin’/God Loves Ugly, The Documentary/1988… and so on. Rappers like Dose One and Aesop Rock were a bit over my head, until I started rapping. I didn’t get exposed to that kind of hip-hop until I could fully appreciate it. Now Aesop is one of my favorite artists.
How do you see the various genres influencing your music?
Botzy: One of my major growth points as a rapper was a result of just that. Working with such a wide rage tempos and vibes has helped me find my voice. It’s pushed me in many different directions, and has taught me how to adjust to my surroundings. This is a very valuable lesson as an emcee.
You guys have kind of a fiesta vibe, where does that come from?
Mike D: Culture Cry Wolf is all about having a good time. We take our music very seriously, but like to have fun both on and off stage, and each show is much like a celebration. That combined with our Latin influences results in our music having a “fiesta†vibe.
What kind of genres feed into the Culture Cry Wolf sound?
Mike D: Hip-Hop, Ska, Reggae, Punk, Latin, and Doo-Wop. Mike D brings elements of Ska, Punk, Reggae and Doo-Wop, Jaime provides a Latin/Afro Cuban vibe. Frankie is influenced by hardcore, punk and metal. Daniel adds mariachi horns, Druby Soho provides Hip-Hop and Punk, and Botzy raps.
Being based in Minnesota around so many huge independent acts: Is it a net positive or negative for Culture Cry Wolf?
Botzy: It’s a positive in my mind, absolutely. The amount of ground work that’s been put into this city is insane. The venues are used to working with independent artists and the fans are accustomed to supporting local acts. A lot of that is accredited to the vets in this city. Not to mention a lot of notable acts in the city have been helpful to us, offering advice, allowing us to open, etc. This place is amazing. Good Lookin’ Minneap!
Mike D: We have been very involved in the local hip hop scene, performing with acts such as: Mally, Tribe & Big Cats!, Guante, Kristoff Krane, Cecil Otter, and Sims. Sims is our only collaboration on this record. We have been fortunate enough to receive a lot of support from both local and national acts, and our fan base has provided a lot of support as well.
How is Dia de los Muertos different from [your last record] The Wesley Opus Sessions?
Mike D: First and foremost, Dia de los Muertos is a full band studio recording, whereas The Wesley Opus Sessions had stronger Hip-Hop production. Dia de los Muertos will give the listen a more accurate representation of what Culture Cry Wolf sounds like live.
What is the general tone/ feel/ message of the album?
Mike D: Dia de los Muertos has a darker, deeper tone throughout the album. It also has a wide range of dynamic styles, which we attempted to fuse together in an innovative way.
Is there pressure behind Culture Cry Wolf’s first full album?
Mike D: Less pressure, and more excitement. We have been together for three plus years, and this is the first time pulling something together that sounds like us. Our fans have been very supportive, and also have responded positively to our first singles, “Day of the Dead†and “Sweet Marieâ€.
What did it take to put this album together?
Mike D: We have been in the studio since January of 2011, but the creation of this album has been in the works for three plus years. Also, we have been playing a lot of shows to gain support. Opening for many nation acts, flyering in the freezing cold, and handing out free music to anyone who would listen.
What’s next for CCW?
Botzy: Oh you know. We just released music videos for “Day of the Dead†and “Sweet Marieâ€, which are off our new album DÃa de los Muertos. They were directed by the most wonderful Adam J Dunn. CD Release in November.
Mike D: We would like to showcase this album as much as possible over the next year, and expand our fan base both inside and outside of the twin cities.
In hip hop culture, street cred has historically been crucial to success. However, as of late, this need has apparently dissipated with the prominence of artists like Kanye West and Drake. Tucson rapper Isaiah Toothtaker is the epitome of street cred, and is making a wholehearted attempt to revive the street legitimacy of hip hop. Sporting a shaved head, a mouthful of gold teeth, tattoos covering his entire body, a rap sheet a mile long, and often a pair of suspenders, Isaiah Toothtaker is one of the most menacing rappers out there today. Repping the often looked-over region of the Southwest, his own tattoo parlor, and his label Machina Muerte, he is also one of the most industrious. I talked with him over the phone all the way from the arid Southwest to figure out what he is working on, the deal with Machina Muerte, and the life of a Tucson street thug.
How did Machina Muerte get started?
Basically it was founded by Mestizo, it was his idea, his concept, and he kicked it all off. He set it towards the motion, he basically brought the people he had seen fit to come together. After the ball started rolling a little bit, it was obviously real loose in a way, not each and every one of us had a strong personal relationship, but then after time we gathered and the crew started to gain more strength and structure. Then the records started coming out, and once Yiggy came out, which was my record for that came out on January 1st, that started putting things in a more filed perspective, they took a little bit more realization to the actual label and to the crew and it really brought more actuality into fruition. Other than it being a loose tie or a loose crew affiliation it started to become the entity that it’s still more or less growing into. Then Mestizo’s record came out, and the beginning of a relationship with Alpha Pup was his Elecholo record, and from that he and I started to really put together our thoughts and our plans, what we really wanted to do with the label itself, and I’d say where he and I are right now. We’re just working on this path to dominate what we can, what we will.
“Intruder†from Isaiah Toothtaker’s Illuminati Thug Mafia
Are there any expansion plans for Machina Muerte?
Yeah of course, we don’t plan to just be digitally distributed, we have a lot of plans to grow into a much more unique product itself, so when we do have physical merchandise and product we really want it to become something that’s special and unique to the buyer itself, so the person just doesn’t feel like they’re getting this jewel case with a paper print out of the same thing that they can see online. We want them to have something that’s a little more special and individual to the actual product itself, maybe different types of vinyl, more unique ways to package it, something that makes the actual product itself an event. We have plans to go a lot further with at least what it is that we’re selling with the records themselves, but it’s a full blown record label right now. We’re taking our steps as we go, we’re really doing a lot of stuff do-it-yourself, and trying to correct everything right now at its earlier stages so that in that way, when things really start to hit, there’s heavier stride, and we have everything in place. It’s really still just JJ [Mestizo] and I who are doing everything, we want to make sure all of our bases are covered, and everything is situated in an appropriate manner and handled righteously.
Who in Machina Muerte do you work the most with?
A lot of the core members are on a day-to-day type basis of communication, I’d say I regularly speak to Cadalack Ron, to Mestizo, to Alex Pathetic, to Lush[One] to even Kap [Kallous] who’s a more recent inductee, and then the same thing with Mainframe who’s a little bit more new to the crew. Luckyiam is a regular conversation, of course Rheteric, Mike Gao, these are people who are in a very regular dialogue, Louisahhh, Mr. Dibbs even. For the face-to-face type basis, easily the Crime Killz kids, and Zackey Force Funk, Masque Anonymous, those people in the crew I get to see because they’re in the same city that I am, in Tucson.
What is the Tucson rap scene like?
In general, there really isn’t much of one. What was a community at one point scattered apart or it dissipated. The scene now, there might be a little cluster, but it’s not so much of a very active base. As far as anybody genuinely making progression and trying to become a little bit more known for artistry and doing more actual releases and making a higher notion of impact it would be the three units in that sense, Zackey Force Funk, Crime Killz, and myself. More or less, Machina Muerte, that’s really the effect of it, the strength of it.
What other regions is Machina Muerte representing?
It’s limitless to whatever really, it’s not like we’re trying to take on just a West Coast demeanor necessarily, I think that because a lot of us are from here, the southwest, it has that kind of dialect or aesthetic to it in ways, because that’s genuine. It is from Ohio, that’s easily something else, there’s Northern Cali aspects that are somewhat a different climate to what would maybe be considered the aesthetic, it’s not like secluded to any one thing, it is what fits into it. Kap Kallous fits into it, and he’s far off from like Florida, that’s a different spectrum completely, it’s limitless in that sense.
What is Staring Without Caring?
Yeah it’s a tattoo shop that I opened up approximately five years ago after having a falling out with the boss of a place that I was working at prior to it, I just decided to open up a tattoo shop that was of a higher scale. Everywhere that I had seen in town, a majority of the shops were just street shops, meaning that you would walk in without an appointment necessarily set and needed, and be able to pick something right off the wall or already designed flash, any changes that you want to be made would be made on the spot, it wasn’t so much of a custom, or any formal sort of set up for it, you’d just walk in, pick something off the wall an go for it. I wanted to create more of a debonair, boutique kind of tattoo shop that was definitely of the tradition and very true to a tattoo shop that had like a higher standard for everything, that definitely kept the utmost of sterility, but then at the same time presented it in a much classier sort of disposition. So I did that, took some of the people who I was working with, opened up a shop that raised the bar for the types of tattoo shops, and I opened it up here. It went from being one of the most regarded shops in town for actual artistry, to what is now considered the best tattoo shop in the city.
Being a tattoo artist, how important do you think art is in hip hop?
I think that it’s plenty important. I think that art is important with whatever culture, I think that art has a pretty heavy play into everything. That’s why we see a lot of music videos do successful, because people like to visualize what they’re hearing. Sound can carry certain colors and connotations to them and things can set the mood and the atmosphere and definitely help to place things in perspective. I think that it takes a big part in it and it’s definitely good for it.
Do you have a favorite tattoo?
Yeah it’s on my throat, it says Tucson in six and a half inch letters from ear to ear. Being proud of where I am and where I’m from and the upbringing, even as fucked up as it has been I’m still proud of it because it made me into who I am now and I feel real good about that.
“The difference of Machina to Odd Future is that when we say we’re gonna stab you or we’re gonna slit your fuckin’ throat, people are afraid that we actually will.â€
Who do you think is out there now making good music, outside of Machina Muerte?
I think there’s a lot of people man, shit that’s a countless fuckin’ list really because I think that it’s a good time for music, but it’s always been a good time for music. At the very present, I’m listening to a lot of Max B type shit to be honest with you, it probably goes through a lot of variety of different shit. There’s this kid that’s actually from Tucson, his name is Chris Hall and he does a kind of folk-country and I’m really into the shit that he’s been doing. It’s not a rip-off but in the same vein as that old-time classic country. Seeing new sound and new writing and this younger kind of uptake on it, that shit is kind of cool to see and that’s something that I’ve been listening to.
If you could start a beef with any rapper out there now, who would it be?
Fuckin’ any of ‘em. None of them specifically, I don’t really give a fuck about most of these rappers, a lot of ‘em are fake. I have had beef with rappers for whatever that’s worth, I’ve had to put them in their fucking place, I’ve had to correct them and check them. There’s been a lot of rappers that have been punched in the face, dead up. Beef with rappers is kind of corny, most of ‘em are just fake as fuck.
How do you feel about all this Odd Future hype right now? Do you think that’s something Machina Muerte could do in the future?
I feel all right about it man, you know, I think it’s good for them. Obviously their hype is benefitting them. Could we be sensationalized in the same sense? It’s possible I guess, it would just depend on how it’s done. I think that part of the sensationalism is the fact that they’re young, and I think that a lot of people find excitement in that, and that even goes for some of the good industry folk, they want to suck the blood out of that. That’s appealing to most people to see what they can like steal or corrupt, the challenge, it’s the appeal that attracts something to it, they feel like their young enough that they can take something from them or take advantage of it. So I think that’s how the craze originated in some aspects. I don’t know man, it’s possible, but I think that the difference of Machina to Odd Future is that when we say we’re gonna stab you or we’re gonna slit your fuckin’ throat, people are afraid that we actually will. It’s not fun to be rebellious when we say it, to have an actual criminal say it or to have actual street thugs or people who have fuckin’ been through certain life experiences. If we do say it, there’s this ninety percent chance it’s gonna get done if it hasn’t already. I think that keeps us at a different end, that keeps us a little bit less friendly, people don’t wanna welcome us in the same way maybe, and it’s not as dismissed with us when we say it.
Some people don’t believe that you have been in over 400 witnessed bare-knuckle street fights, what do you have to say to that?
I don’t give a fuck if people believe that shit or not, it sounds like a ridiculous-ass number. But it’s not like impossible, if I’m saying I’m getting into a fight every other week, how impossible is that? That shits been fifteen years of my life, what if it’s every other week, and then sometimes it’s twice? Some people wouldn’t believe a lot of shit. One of the felonies that I’m fucking convicted of recently, I fought seven people by myself at once, I think like five of them were six foot and taller and I’m 5' 10". I’m fighting seven of ‘em — I take out a Blackjack, which is sort of a baton, but with a spring and it has a lead end — and I ended up knocking out four of the seven before any of them hit me, and a lot of people would have trouble believing that. Out of those four, his face was split in half and his eyeball popped out and he had to get surgery to get his eyeball put back in, and that’s what I ended up catching some trouble for. It was a few different felonies and I ended up taking a plea to collect only one. But seven dudes try and fight me, not one of them hit me, I knocked four of ‘em out, and the other ones picked up their homies and then ran off. That doesn’t seem so possible, but that shit happens, and there was a big number of people who witnessed that.
The thing is, it’s not that hard to get into a fight, trust me. The way that Tucson operates, its part of the dialogue, the climate in Tucson is still like a wild west in that sense. We have a threshold, there’s a matter of respect. Cussing at someone that you don’t necessarily know or talking about someone in a fucked up way will get you punched in the face, or will start a fight. It’s a rowdy city, it’s a very scrappy city, it’s a very violent city. I don’t give a fuck if people believe it or not, if you run a background check on me you can find out that I’ve beat thirteen cases. Let alone some other shit where I can’t be found guilty on, that’s ridiculous. Not very many people with actual criminal histories are lookin’ like that. And that’s like on some petty shit, those are the people who snitched where it got through. Feeling the need to validate that, it’s not hard to look up. It sounds like a ludicrous number, but then if you put it in the right kind of like context it’s like okay, here’s a guy who’s saying he scrapped like every other week, that’s not impossible to believe especially if you’re in the fuckin’ street, especially if you’re out thugging. Then you put that into like fifteen years or someshit like that, it adds up, it’s not impossible for that to happen to them.
Do you think that that lifestyle comes out in your music?
Scrapping or just violence in general, of course. I was brought up with violence, I was like hit as a kid. Being hit as a kid and then being not necessarily straight off abandoned but outcast and homeless at an early early age type shit, bouncing around from family members and friends houses, growing up on my own and being on the street and the getting into fucking as many fights as I have, of course, it’s almost embedded in me. I find it extremely challenging now to not even do something as I’m on probation, and I have a crazy amount of years of prison hanging over my head if I get into some sort of trouble. The consequences are very severe and I’ve already paid tens of thousands of dollars to not be in prison so of course, that shit bears on me at every moment. It bears on me when someone is slightly disrespectful and my whole entire life, my nature is to sock ‘em in the fuckin’ face. Fuck it, straight up and down, if the number of fights is in question, that number can definitely raise. Let them come and question me for shit in person. There’s some sort of background stuff that is embedded in me man, through and through. That’s something that I enjoy doing and that I’ve had plenty of success with, so I definitely accept those types of challenges full-heartedly.
What is Humansuit?
Humansuit is a group that consists of myself and Mestizo. Basically we are going to start recording for an album that should be released by the end of 2011.
Are there any tours planned for your solo work, Humansuit, or Machina Muerte?
Machina has some things for the up and coming, but I’m not really allowed to leave for long periods of time as I’m on probation. I might be able to get an early termination of it come September, so it’s possible for that to happen. But what I got scheduled to complete for the different albums that I have intended to release, I probably won’t be leaving any time this year at all. For myself, it’s not the outlet.
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on Humansuit, we’re just about ready to get started into that, I got a couple things that I’m doing for the hood internet, and then I’m jumping into starting the Humansuit record, and then after that comes to completion I’ll begin my next solo record.
What Machina Muerte releases can we look forward to in the near future?
You can look forward to something from Zackey Force Funk, from Mike Gao, from Louisahhh, from Kap Kallous, from Mestizo, from Rhetoric, from Luckyiam, we just saw recently the Cadalack Ron and Innaspace record called Space Cadalack as well as LushOne’s record coming out and the record Rapewolf in Compton from Alex Pathetic, and then my record (Illuminati Thug Mafia) was just released at the end of January, and there’s a couple others that could come possibly this year, but it just depends if the place is right at this point; we would want it to be for like a reason and definitely make its full impact. And that’s just the locked down stuff.
Any last thoughts or shout-outs?
I’d say just make sure everybody gets out there and takes a look and takes a listen to the fuckin’ shit that Machina has to offer this year because this is the time to become aware of what we’re doing because I think that we’ve got some big projects and different ideas that are gonna come into practice soon enough.
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