Interview with Block McCloud
1)
Block McCloud in the building, Brooklyn keeps on
taking it!
YEZZIR! THAT WE DO!!!!! You can take me out of
Brooklyn but can’t take that Brooklyn Spirit and attitude out of me. No place
like it in the world. I’ve seen the world, nothing compares.
2)
Hailing from Park Slope Brooklyn, take us to your hood
(bring us to your world)
It’s a beautiful tree filled neighborhood, Park Slope,
lots of yuppies and kids now, actors and hipsters, not what it used to be. When
i was young it was all of us, White, Black, Latinos, getting smoked out and
drinking in Prospect Park, It was the movie "KIDS" with some of its
actual actors, but in real life, Brownstone parties, Mushroom, Acid, Mesculine
then Crack. A giant radio and a forty of
Olde English, a fat EL and a bottle of Brass Monkey, Banging broads in the
meadows, or in there parents room while Native Tongue or KRS or Rakim play in
the background, sniffing, strip poker, One on One fights, no guns just rumbles,
That’s was Park Slope Brooklyn.
3)
Has being from Park Slope influenced you musically?
Yes of course, that and then moving to Staten, Wu Tang
and Sheistyness galore, bloods and crypts, pills and coke, bills and being
broke, I am a product of my environment, then and now, I was literally hungrier
then so my rhymes where a lot angrier, now I’m fat so I sing lol. Being a
father changed me, but I’m still a sick fuck in the head, you can’t cure that,
the Crazy Man.
4)
You got an impressive hip hop resume, how did you get
started?
Late eighties, early nineties, Lyricist Lounge parties
and cyphers by Grey Papayas in the city! Just gravitated towards people that
loved hip hop as much as i did, and did my best to become a part of it, Started
Brooklyn Academy, doing shows at Wetlands, and CBGB's basement, places that
have since closed, and fortunately came up in what I call the Inception of The
Underground. Ill Bill, Jedi Mind Tricks, Jean Grae, Immortal Technique, Sons of
Man, Mos Def, those were my co-conspirators in this thing call The Underground,
we all came up together, some have forgotten who helped them along the way,
that we were all in it together, that I recorded them or with them, produced
for them etc.. But I’m happy, I’m a father to my kids, a husband to my woman,
and a respected artist to my fans. I’m still the same dude i was then.
5)
Rawkus was the movement in independent music.
Yes and No. It definitely turned our movement into a
profitable one and for that I guess it can be accredited with putting it on the
map, but it also streamlined it and blended it later on with mainstream
artists, like Lyricist lounge Vol.2 and I think that was the beginning of the
end of real Lyricism. Hunger defines art in my opinion, even I have lost a
certain edge in my little comfort zone. You can’t rap about what you don’t
understand, pain, fear, doubt, anger. You understand those better when you’re
young, with babies and no sense of direction. It fueled my desire to write
things to inspire emotion. I write my best under duress and I think Hip Hop did
too. Now you got millionaires like Nicki Minaj and sounding fucking stupid, I
mean stupid!! And that’s what people gravitate towards? People need to feel
pain. They will soon enough.
6)
Lyricist Lounge and Ecko Unlimited must have opened
some doors for you.
They did. But like i said it got corporate and things
changed, they gravitated towards those that would benefit them, the more
"commercially friendly" cats, the "safe" artists like Mos
and Talib, and cats like me who screamed " Ill beatchu down like Hedda
Nussbaum, on a busbound for uptoan cus you wouldn’t give me a Bust down!!"
, I got no love lol..
7)
How the group Brooklyn Academy did came about?
We had a crew called Zooty Zoo that eventually evolved
into Brooklyn Academy, I came up with the name and essentially recruited everyone
from the old crew and added a few more and Will Tell did the beats and me and
Mr. MNet and PH and I.see.on started killing it on the Underground and
essentially laid the foundation for Horrorcore with cats like Non phixion and
Company Flow, and the rest as they say is history.. So is Brooklyn Academy btw.
8)
Talk to us about Disturbia Music Group and Well Done
Entertainment.
Well Done entertainment is dead as far as i know, they
helped with my Crazy Man video and a couple of pics and nothing else, the rest and
everything you’ve seen since then is a product of my blood, sweat and tears..
People need to understand something, I came up with BA, i put Skeme Team on the
map, and now I am again creating a movement, a label, an image, a musical
revolution from nothing. Disturbia Music Group is an Artist run Label so to
speak in that we move as one, we are a family, and we are what all the other
groups I was affiliated with before DMG and AOTP could not ever be or even
understand. We are a Group. We move in perfect harmony. And I am thankful I was
able to prove all them faggots wrong who didn't understand what I was trying to
do, or didn’t believe enough to play there position and do what they were
supposed to do to get us there that much quicker. And if you take offense to
the word faggot then you definitely are one lol.
9)
You got a lot of headz on the roster. Name a few
artists on the Disturbia Music Group.
F.T., Suicide Squad, Demunz the Dark Apostle,
Kromeatose, Misk, Fresh Jones, Genghis Khan, Just One, Exacto, and Castro Fidel
to name a few..
10)
Your group Brooklyn Academy almost got signed with
Mammoth Records. What happened to that deal?
We actually did the deal with them, it was a 3 Album
deal starting at $300,000 with each albums advance doubling to $600,000 then
1.2 mil, but the owner who had borrowed his bread to start mammoth from Disney didn’t
quite make things pop with his previous signings and lost the label to Disney,
they bought him out and as one of his signings, we were dropped as well. We didn’t
even get to drop the album unfortunately.
11)
Brooklyn Academy sold 30,000 units with a single. It
shows that you can still put that hustle and get noticed without a major
machine backing you up.
Yes we did, and I continued up until now, to get it
done with no budget, my only resources are the people who work with and for
Disturbia Music Group, and the fans that support us. My fans are the best fans
in the world!! And i try to talk to all of them lol
12)
You also engineered and record Immortal Technique, Jean
Grae and Pumpkinhead albums. You are versatile with many roles such as mC’ing, producing,
recording and songwriter.
That’s True, them dudes practically lived in my studio
in Staten Island, All of us would get up at my place and get fried, Barbecue
and record all night, good times while they lasted, but people got there little
deals and kept it moving, I’m not mad, I wish nothing but the best for people.
I just know that despite my success I’m still close with all the people who
have been there for me from day one. I have produced , Engineered or Recorded
and done hooks for: Jean Grae, Immortal Technique, PH, Thirstin Howl the 3rd,
Sean Price, Trife The God, Mr. Met, Dom Pacino, Method Man, Capadonna, Mastah
Killah, JJPellegrino, Ghostface, Sun God, Shyheim, Slaine, Ill Bill, Killah
Priest and another thousand or so artists I can even begin to count lol
13)
You got a strong work ethic from music to the label,
doing it all by yourself. How did your work progress from music, to production,
to recording and the CEO of Disturbia?
I used to say that everyone around me were control
freaks. Truth is I’m probably the biggest one, I don’t see anyone around me as
being capable of doing what I do as well as I do it, even when they do lol
(most don’t though). I’m a Virgo, a perfectionist, I got tired of paying for
studio time to have people do shitty jobs at engineering, so i invested in and
learned Pro Tools, then Logic, Reason, FL, Ableton etc.. I needed to hear
things how I wanted them to sound, and people hated on me, new id be nice and wouldn’t
allow me on their equipment, literally told me if you get nice block, what am I
gonna do?? Like stifling my career was the only way they could shine. They
tried but I got the studio, got the shine, and that’s been the same story
across the board, no one gives me a shot so I make my own way, label, career. I’ve
fought tooth and nail for every achievement and forced myself on to the
forefront of UGHH, I essentially raped the hip hop world and force fucked my
way in!
14)
What is the difference between writing a song and
spitting bars?
Anyone could spit bars, good or bad, and think they
did something. Battle rappers for instance, they are soo fucking dope in
battles but a lot of them go to do a song and it doesn’t have the same impact
on the listener. I’m a songwriter, the lyrics compliment the hook compliments
the music compliments the theme of the album, and the video compliments all of
the above. A songwriter thinks of all of that before he even grabs the pencil
and pad.
15)
You got a singing alias Captain Hook.
Yes i do. Yes i am. nuff said.
16)
You got an army of super groups. What is the
difference between Army of Pharaohs and Brooklyn Academy?
One is probably the most relevant and powerful MC
collective ever assembled, like the Avengers, the other was the most powerful
and talented but dysfunctional MC collective ever assembled, like the Watchmen.
17)
How was it working with Sean Price?
It was great, real Brooklyn dude.
18)
What do you think about the music right now especially
New York?
I don’t even know anymore man, my time is completely
encompassed doing my own thing and helping my labels artists get where they
gotta get.
19)
Do you think New York City MC’s have gotten lazy with
their hustle unlike the Southern MC’s?
People complain that the underground sucks now but no
one seems to be good enough to really make it better, until you can out due me,
Bill, Vinnie, Slaine, we will continue to run shit. Period! Whether it’s a
matter of hustle or not, I’m not sure but I know I bust my ass daily, and them
dudes down south that hustle and grind, they make names for themselves, that
should tell you what needs to happen to succeed..
20)
You are a veteran in the business. Do you think it
would be difficult trying to reach to the 90’s babies and the new hip hop
listeners with your music?
I hope not lol, no not at all. I have teenage fans
that love my shit. Period! I’m one of the few that have managed to stay true to
themselves while growing with and adapting to the times, that’s how you stay
relevant, after all you’re only as good as your last video ;)
21)
I like the title to your album Four Walls. What was
the concept behind it?
DJ Waxwork actually came up with it and we have a sick
beat which ironically didn’t make the album, with the same title. I see it as a
cell, mental, metaphorical or physical. We all are trapped in our personal
cells or personal hell. Four Walls depicts mine and how I free myself from
them.
22)
Four Walls was produced by DJ Waxwork. Are you
satisfied with the outlook of the album?
I could not be prouder of DJ Waxwork, he is so young
and to be so fucking talented and creative, we complement each other perfectly.
Big ups to him and our album!
23)
Who are the guest appearances on the Four Walls album?
Ill Bill, Slaine, Vinnie Paz, King Syze, Reef The Lost
Cauze, King Mag, Celph Titled, R.A. The Rugged Man, Demunz the Dark Apostle,
Just One, Hasan Salaam, and a bunch more lol, All Star cast.
24)
What’s the difference between Splitting Image and Four
Walls?
Spittin' Image was a showcase of my talents and sort
of my rebirth as a solo Artist, It showed a lot of the different ways i could
attack a song, melodic, singing songs, or straight spit, angry, sad, love songs
or murder Music, it was an experiment for me. With Four Walls, I know what I’m
doing, what direction I wanted to go, the theme, the sound, the feel of it,
were all premeditated. And it’s all one producer which brought it all together
seamlessly
25)
Crazy Man is out, got the remix with R.A. the Rugged Man
and Celph Titled. Love the video set up. How was it working with those guys?
Amazing, both class acts, both incredible talents, and
both showed me the utmost respect by coming to the shoot, one with a hurt ankle
(R.A.) and the other never having been in a video before (Celphs first ever video
filmed was Crazy Man Remix). I was honored to have them and it felt good
knowing that they too were as much a fan of me as i was of them.
26)
Wow, you don’t see remixes from any artists that much
like in the 90’s.
I recently saw an interview with R.A. where he discussed
being an old school cat, I feel the same way, we are both fortunate to get the
love we get still and like him, I don’t take that for granted, so I try to
honor it by keeping as much of that old school Hip Hop in my music and lyrics: The
scratches, the dirty beats, the collaborations with its greatest emcees. Thats
real Hip Hop.
27)
Hip hop had become main stream for a minute. Do you
think corporations have disrespected the art form?
Totally, if you want to be mainstream you just have to
be a fucking idiot. Rap about nothing or be an R&B singer that can spit a
few witty lines and you’re in. No disrespect to the Joel Ortiz's and even J.
Cole or Ludacris' cus i respect their lyricism, but some of the artists eating
today should fucking starve and die. Kill themselves early. I’m sorry and
pardon my French but it’s so blatantly obvious that Executives and the Masons
who run them are eager to dumb down society, desensitize people to
homosexuality, violence, and the degradation of our Queens. It’s sad that
people consume that bullshit and are so busy popping e pills and mollys to
notice.
28)
Love the track with you and Vinnie Paz “True Lies”.
You mentioned about how they are raping our minds. I definitely co-sign with
the propaganda constantly showing on the idiot box
I can say a lot more about it, the reality TV shows glorifying
the dumbest humans on earth with Jersey Shore and all that. Its fucking sad
people are fucking dumb. I feel for them like I feel for a little retarded kid
who shits himself and punches himself in the face. I think we should put them
out of their misery and begin again.
29)
Ultimately, it will convert itself to the old
psychology theory of classic conditioning.
Conditioning, Desensitization, fear tactics, we are
all being programmed daily, seeing a man with an assault rifle on the train
platform is ok now lol, watching men hump and kiss in comedies is ok now, our
favorite rapper wearing a fucking wig and a horses ass while sniffing coke is
ok now. People are fucking stupid and getting stupider thanks to our president
and label execs. Wake up.
30)
Don’t mean to pull out of the music topic but what do
you think about the overabundance of electronics, sex and drugs. Is it a
distraction from the changes happening in the country?
Absolutely, it’s no coincidence that at a time when
government is passing bill after bill that essentially destroys the fabric of
our freedoms, deleting all those amendments that used to protect our rights,
and militarizes our society like a third world country we are being offered the
greatest innovations in video gaming, I-pads, apps, computers, TV's, free
TV(netflix) and video and music galore online to keep us busy and keep our
heads so far up our own asses that we don’t see they are pulling the rug out
from under us and putting the wool over our eyes. If you just stop and look at
the laws being passed, at what banks are plotting, etc. You would already be
packing, stocking up on food and guns, seeds, medicine, etc. It’s scary. Like i
said People are stupid. I repeat this so they can get mad a little, you’ve got
to get mad." you’ve got to say I’m a human being Goddamit.. I’m not going
to take this anymore!!!"
31)
Any artist you would like to work with.
I’m working some things out now but I really don’t
want to spoil the surprise. Let’s just say my wish list is also my upcoming
feature list for the next album and that list does include: Krizz Kalico, Sick
Jacken, Joel Ortiz, Sticky Fingaz, Cappadonna, Kool G. Rap, Krumb Snatcha,
Havoc, Cormega, Jadakiss and Styles P, Action Bronson, Inspectah Deck and Gizah
to name a few. Some are already in the works. We will see how it goes..
32)
What is your advice to the artists on the come up?
Do whatever the fuck they tell you bothers them about
you. If it stuck out that much in their mind to force them to talk about it, it
works. If you suck, quit. Don’t ever stop believing in you because if you don’t
believe in you, who will. And above all else, be a good person, that above all
else will keep you in the mix when all else fails.
33)
Definitely looking forward to the projects coming from
your camp. How can headz can check you and get at your music?
You can purchase my
projects on www.disturbiamusicgroup.com/bigcartel.com and also my website: www.disturbiamusicgroup.com/store.html
. My singles "True Lies and Hallucinations
off my "Four Walls" album are available on itunes. Click here:
http://www.DisturbiaMusicGroup.com (website)
http://www.disturbiamusicgroup.bigcartel.com (Disturbia Music Group's store)
34)
Any shout outs!
Shout out to my manager Jimmy
Kang and Str8 up Entertainment: jsk@wutangmanagement.com ,
he’s the guy to talk to if you’re interested in working with me lol, and Big
Ra, all my people at DMG, Kromeatose, Misk, Just, my AOTP fam, my wife Fresh
Jones who does most of my promo work, and my beautiful kids Lego, Bella, Dahlia
and Rita for being my inspiration when it seemed hopeless.. Thank You Ty for
taking the time and obviously doing your homework lol. Peace and love.
No comments:
Post a Comment