Interview with Roads Art

Interview with Roads Art

New Jersey has talent for days and there is no denying that. Queen Latifah, Redman, Tha Artifacts, Joe Budden and producer Cardiak put Nu Jeruz on the map reflecting on the diverse musical culture. Mercer County’s secret weapon producer Roads Art is starting to make a household name. Acknowledging his musical skills, he has also delved into graphic designing and videography which compliments the music aspects. Lacing tracks for Yasin, Johnii Lennon and produced the Capone track “I’m Just That Good”, Roads Art is putting his foot in the door and is considered New Jersey’s best kept secret.

Roads Art showed some love as he shared not only his experiences but his graphic designing and his videography skills, his work ethic and honing his craft while sticking it in the competitive hip hop business. Make some room for one of the nicest producers from New Jersey and get familiar with Roads Art; he is a force to be reckon with.

1)            What it is my dude? New Jersey, in the building. How did you get the name Roads Art?

Whats good fam, NJ up in here. The name Roads-Art comes from when I was around 12 or 13 I used to do a lot of skating and got called Robbie "Roads" since I was always out tearing up the streets. That really just stuck throughout my teen years, then when I started getting into production I took the name and made it an acronym so I was calling myself The R.O.A.D.S. "The Ruler Of All Digital Science" then I added the Art at the end to kind of play of Mozart and I was going to school for art at the time so it really just fit, so then I became Roads-Art.

2)            What producers did you look up to growing up?

Growing up the producers I really looked up to are The Rza, J Dilla, Dr. Dre. Those three I would say were my main influences.

3)            When did you first get into music and who was your first artist?

I would say around 11th or 12th grade I started getting into DJing then got introduced to the program Fruity Loops around 12th grade by a friend and then started producing ever since. I actually started with a whole crew of artists including myself, we would record on an old 2 track to tape in my basement, We called ourselves 202 click since that was the address of a couple of our houses. That was around 2000, 2001.

4)            How do you describe your production sound?

It’s hard to describe my sound because I'm always changing it and evolving but I would say definitely soulful and adaptable. I try not to stick with the same formula and depending on the artists I work with at the time I might change the sound scape from what i do on the norm.

5)            What equipment do you use?

Well I started on fruity loops used that for years, then moved on to a MPC 2000xl but my current set up is NI Maschine, Yamaha Motif xs6, Mikro Korg, 2 technic 1200s, some percussion instruments, a drum set, I use Pro Tools 8 to mix everything and I also use a ton of VST's and a crazy vinyl collection.

6)            When you decided to become a producer and get into hip hop?

I decided I wanted to pursue this as a career about 3 years ago, I’ve been producing for over 8 years but I would say around 2009 I really made the decision that this is what I'm gonna do as a career.

7)            You have been producing for a while, what motivates you to put out music?

The main thing I would say that motivates me is just the passion and seeing the effect that music has on people, there’s no feeling like it in the world it’s like a drug, seeing people nodding there head or dancing or relating to the music you put out, there’s nothing like it.

8)            You are also a director, photographer and a graphic designer. How you juggle and keep a balance on working with these jobs?

I'm not gonna lie it gets pretty crazy at times but it comes with the territory when you take on so many roles. At times I fall back on the video directing because it’s so time consuming and detailed, I still have so much to learn in that field but I’ll get there one day. With graphics it’s not as time consuming as videos but you just have to work on a per project basis because you can get lost in the hours. I try and make sure I do music
every day and always put that first and just squeeze in time for designing and videos. A lot of sleepless nights though I’ll tell you that!

9)            What made you decide to take on other roles of directing, photography and graphic designing?

I would say the music, at the time i wanted cover art for projects I was working on and didn't want to pay out of pocket for a designer, so I eventually ended up going to school for graphic design and the videography pretty much came right after. I had to teach myself the video editing but it went hand to hand with what I was learning with graphics. 

10)         Do you see yourself playing roles besides what you are doing right now?

Other than DJing for live shows with artists that I work with or maybe being a tour DJ for well-known artists i would say no, I got my hands pretty full as it is now.

11)         You produced tracks for some well-known artists such as Capone n Noreaga, Cormega and D-Block to name a few. What do you look for in an artist and how the artists you worked with influenced your music?

The main thing I look for when I'm working with artists is originality, passion and vocal presence. You gotta be able to catch the listeners ear right off the bat. I like to influence the artists and bring them into my world most of the time unless they have a certain sound that they’re looking to do for the album. I get influenced by the artists I work with when I hear how passionate some of the artists are or still are after doing it for so long, It just puts that fuel in the fire and makes you want to work that much harder.

12)         What does it take for an up and coming artist to get a Roads Art beat?

Well the first thing is you can't be wack so don't come at me saying you’re nice or this and that and not even have material properly mixed or sounding horrible. If you don't have any material recorded properly wait until you approach me or any producer in general that takes his craft serious, I get that all the time. If you’re serious about your craft it will show and I’m all about building and helping new artists on the rise out, I don't charge unsigned artists an arm and a leg for beats, I work with people’s budget all the time. All you gotta do is hit my email roadsart@gmail.com and I’ll get back to you.

13)         Take us to a Roads Art beat session. Do you listen to the record and go for the loop or do you arrange the kicks and snares first?

To be honest I really don't have a set process. Some days I’ll go through some vinyl and chop up some records or ill play some keys or go through some vst's or I’ll start with a drum track and on too it, it really all depends, sometimes I also just cut a folder worth of samples and go back another day and build of that. Really depends on the mood of the day, but every session starts off with a joint or a bong hit I can tell you that.

14)         How do you know if the beat is done before you holla at artists?

Pretty much it has to just feel right, I’ll do a lot of beats that are just skeletons with not a lot to them just a basic 4,8 bar loop then send them out and if something gets chosen I’ll go back in and either touch it up add more to it or play along with the hook ideas that the artists has and so on.

15)         What is it like working with Capone from CNN?

It was a honor I grew up listening to CNN War Report is one of my favorite albums of all time and linking up with Capone has been a blessing and opened up so many doors for me, It’s a great feeling when you have artists you grew up listening to in your studio feeling your sound and movement. Thanks to my homie Yasin for hooking that up through mutual friends we were able to make that happen and we haven't been looking back since.

16)         You also worked with Yasin with numerous collaboration albums”. What was it like working with Yasin?

Working with Yasin has been some of the best experience in my musical career, we both have the same ear for music and we vibe out in and out the studio so well. We both have a common goal with our music, I actually grew up with his younger brother and once we got introduced we just been hitting the ground running ever since and have been making a lot of noise in NJ and we are ready to take over the world next!!

17)         Which do you prefer working with the artist in the studio or emailing beats?

Definitely in the studio, when I work with an artist I like to make the beat there on the spot in the studio, sometimes your forced to send it online because of locations or timeframes and it works fine but creatively you can get more out of being in the studio with the artist in my opinion.

18)         You produced a lot of instrumental albums. What is it about instrumental albums that distinguish from making a production album with artists and what made you decide to go that route?

I love doing Instrumental albums. When I'm doing an instrumental project I always put a theme behind the album. When I'm in the mind state for an instrumental project it’s really just creative freedom, not having to worry about how an artist wants the track set up and I have a certain sound in mind, plus it gives me the opportunity to experiment with my own creativity.

19)         What type of vibe was on the “Strawberry Letter 202” instrumental?

Well for the Strawberry Letter 202 instrumental that sample was used a lot but I was watching the movie Jackie Brown and there’s a part in the movie when Sam Jackson character is about to Kill Chris Tucker’s character in the flick and he puts that song on right after he puts him in the trunk and drives down the street to kill him. So once I heard that song again I went to the drum machine and chopped up a couple parts from the sample and just tried to change the vibe up a little bit, laid some drums down and that's about it, but the inspiration on making it came from Jackie Brown.

20)         Do you have an idea of which artist sounds good on your beats?

At times I have a general idea on who sounds right on a beat but it usually doesn't work like that, it’s usually the ones I wouldn't expect an artist to pick that they sound the best on.

21)         Any new artists, people catching your ear, which you’d like to work with in the future (indie and/or mainstream)?

As far as new artists there are a bunch of people out there that I'm really feeling. I’m digging the whole TDE movement, Dannie Brown, Elzhi (he's really not that new of a artist but one of my favorites out) Jay Electronica and the one artist that is definitely on my bucket list is Nas.

22)         Some producers critique about sampling too much. What are your thoughts on it?

I personally think that sampling is an art form in itself, taking something and changing it into something totally different and making it sound good is just another way of creating. Hip hop has always been "sampling" since its birth, that's how it started taking a break beat and looping it over and by making the turntables an instrument. The only downfall is that when you’re sampling and you land a big placement your cut is gonna be small depending on the circumstances because the original artist or owner of the music is gonna take their cut which is totally understandable. That's why i do a lot of "non-sampled" stuff also.

23)         Do you think producers face so much red tape to break into the business like hip hop artists?

Yea its hard nowadays for a good producer to break in because the market is so over saturated it usually comes down to 30% skill and 70% of who you know.

24)         Any advice to the producers on the come up who want to get into music?

Stay original, develop your own sound and stay dedicated, this isn't for everybody.

25)         Will we see a production album with artists in the works?

yea that's my ultimate goal is to make a production album but I won't do it until I'm in the right situation and are able to put the artists that I want for the album, definitely gonna be a classic when i do.

26)         What’s the future is looking like for Roads Art?

The future is looking bright, I just released a project, I did a chunk of the production on for my homie Johnii Lennon, you can check that out and support it here, He's currently doing a five year bid and is one of the realist artists out in my opinion, you can check that out here: http://roadsartproductions.bandcamp.com/album/heres-johnii and Yasin and I are dropping the 3rd installment in our trilogy The End Of The Road in December. Make sure you hit my website for new beats, songs, videos and graphics and updates http://www.roadsart202.com also check out my new instrumental album Return 2 The Classics here: http://roadsartproductions.bandcamp.com/album/return-2-the-classics-instrumental-album Peace to everyone out there. Salute.

http://www.roadsart202.com
http://www.facebook.com/roadsart
http://soundcloud.com/roads-art-productions
http://soundcloud.com/dj-roads-art
http://soundcloud.com/roadsart202
http://roadsartproductions.bandcamp.com/
@roadsart

Interview with Artform Rejects

Interview with Verse Essential and Artform Rejects

1)            Verse Essential in the building with Artform Rejects, YES YES, the album “Blood Written in Ink” is coming out in a few weeks. I know you guys are satisfied with the album.

Verse: Satisfaction is not even the word my dude. October 30, 2012 is when "Blood Written In Ink" will be in stores and I couldn't be happier.  This is a big accomplishment for us.  And it's far from over. Rest assured: The chaos is coming and nothing can stop Art Form Rejects. 

2)            Tell us how you guys first hook up and decide to do a whole album together.

Verse: I was searching for beats on soundcloud and I heard the beat that would later become "Takeover" from the album and I was floored. I said "I got to get this beat no matter what". So I emailed Che.sko and it's been a wrap ever since. This was originally supposed to be a 6 song EP but as we both started to make more and more tracks together, the music started taking on a life of its own. Then when Noyz came into the picture, it was game over. We had a force that can't be denied. When I finally met Che.sko face to face at the "Prototype" videoshoot in January 2012, I knew that we had to do an album together. If we would have did an EP instead, we would be shortchanging ourselves not to mention the fans and that is something Art Form Rejects doesn't stand for. We are a symbol of quality and greatness. 

3)            Tell us about the meaning of Artform Rejects, how did that name came about?

Verse: The meaning of our name comes from being rejected so much in this art form. I been a soloist since 2009 and I experienced so much rejection for so many people including close friends that thought I was not good enough to be a hip hop artist. Rejection is something everyone will experience many times in a lifetime. It's impossible to be alive without experiencing the pain of rejection. But getting past the pain is what defines you and that's the very thing that defines Art Form Rejects.

4)            The title of the album grabbed me immediately because that has a lot of meaning behind it. Explain the title of the album and what can we expect from this album?

Verse: The title defines me tapping into my dark side.  I wanted my next album to something totally left field. And believe me, the things I discuss on this album is stuff I would never do on solo Verse Essential tracks. As what someone from my past told me, this album is totally morbid.  It's bloody, crazy, dark, sick but fully entertaining. If you’re a fan of Jedi Mind Tricks, Necro, Vinnie Paz, GraveDiggaz, RZA and music of that nature, then you are going to have a ball listening to Blood Written In Ink.

5)            What it takes for you guys to say yo I want to get this project up in the gates.

Verse: For me, it was when I was writing "Angel of Death" for the album. It was some the craziest song writing I ever done. I allowed myself to let go and become total evil with my lyrics. And it was so much fun. When I recorded it, I knew from that point on that this album must get made. I'm the type of artist that must start from scratch with every project. When you do the same things with your music, your fans get bored and then you become redundant.  The bottom line is this: if you want to become a household name, you must realize that there is no such thing as comfort zone. 

6)            Of course Chesko and Noyz did the production on the album but who are the guest appearances on this?

Verse: Guest appearances are the following:
Sadat X (Brand Nubian)
Access Immortal
Jukstapose
Godilla
J-Bux
Jason Gorey
Dayz Da Empora
Fess Gotchu
Nomad
Dj Absurb
Dj Jean Maron
Dj Ronfa
Beast JvS

Much love to all of them and everybody else for their contributions to this release.

7)            Is there anything else that you would have done differently on the album?

Verse: Truth be told: No! This is an album I always wanted to do. I always have been a big fan of Horrorcore hip hop since the 90's so this album is a dream come true for me. When I go into anything knowing what I want to do and it comes out the way I wanted, there is no need for change. And that's what exactly happened with "Blood Written In Ink". 

8)            Is there a favorite track on the Blood Written in Ink album?

Verse: For me, my favorite track is "Prototype". The flame of intently that flows on that track amazes to this day. When Che.sko sent me the beat to this, all the evil in my heart came out in one tremendous blast. The word Prototype means the first of many.  It's my favorite track on the album because it gave me a chance to turn myself into a different type of substance.

9)            Noyz Beatmaker and Chezko, how did you guys meet and what made you guys to decide to work with Verse Essential?

Noyz Beatmaker : Chesko and I were part of another production team. When Chesko left the team we just got in touch with Verse. He was asking for more Chesko’s beats cuz he literally fell in love with his beats lol… So they decided to work together as Art Form Rejects. When I left the crew too I started working with Chesko… You know we both have the same way of thinking and our work ethics is pretty much the same so it came naturally… And Chesko invited me to be an Art Form Rejects goon… the rest is history…

10)         I like the tag team production duo from you guys; Chesko and Noyz, how do you work together on tracks?

Noyz Beatmaker : Most of the time we work separately: Chesko is a hardware dude and I’m a software dude… So we do our beats and submit our work to each other… Sometimes we do beats together too… its fun trying to produce in one other’s way… For example: I don’t use the MPC so when I need something for a track we make together I tell Chesko and he helps me with the machine...

11)         Verse was there any differences between working on the ingenious album and on this album?

Verse: I'm a totally different character on this album than I was on the Ingenious projects. On this album I'm the angel of death spreading chaos through music. And I had a blast doing it. When I recorded ingenious, I was much happier and feeling blessed to be making music in the first place. On this album, I just let myself go and dip into to the dark side. And I don't reject it for a second because music is all about change. You can't expect to be the same and still be dope. You have to switch the formulas in order to grow as an artist and tap into a bigger fan base.

12)         Chesko and Noyz, you are a production duo called Bars 4 the Hood. Where that name came from and who did you produced as a team with?

Noyz Beatmaker and Chesko : Let me picture that: we’re like Bumpy Johnson distributing turkeys for Christmas for the people in the hood… But we give beats… and our hood is worldwide (laugh)… Basically we do this for the love of hip hop… we don’t sell beats, we don’t do special discounts on Friday like “2 beats for the price of one”… We don’t like that… we respect people who do that but we don’t need that… Our salary is to have a dope MC doing a great track with our beats… that’s all…

13)         Describe the creative/recording process between you guys.

Verse: They make the beats, I write the songs. It's as simple as that. Chesko and Noyz gave me the green light to do whatever I wanted with their beats. As you can see, with titles like "Angel of Death", I went off the deep end. Hahaha.
That's how it is on artist/producer albums. Thank God for our Gmail accounts and Facebook or this album would have never gotten made. But things were very simple from the start and that made all the difference.

14)         How do all three of you bring the best in each other to make this project official?

Verse: Like I said on the last question's answer, I had free reign to do whatever the hell I wanted. And I did just that, take their beats to hell and back with my thoughts. I was getting bored with doing all these happy positive songs. I wanted to flip out and lose control. From day one, all three of us were on the same page with this project and this album is the result.

15)         How important is chemistry between an artist and the producer?

Verse: Extremely important. If there is no chemistry, there is no result. You can't mix a negative with a negative or a positive with a positive. The results will be disastrous.  But when you mix a negative along with a positive, you get clean kinetic energy. And that's what Art Form Rejects represents.

16)         What do you think are the key elements of making a successful album?

Verse: Ideas, creatively and a formula that will separate you from the rest. That's my mindset when I'm making music. I aim to please. No more, no less. To me, when your recording an album, you have to represent the message you’re trying to get across. You have to believe in the music that you are making because if you don't believe in your product, why should everybody else?

17)         What are your personal criteria of how a good album is once it’s finished?

Verse: It depends on how I feel once everything is done. Most of the tracks on "Blood Written in Ink" were done a while back so that gave me time to really listen to each track for what they really are. That's something I honestly didn't do after I finished recording Ingenious Deluxe Edition. I was so excited with getting it out there that I didn't really listen to some of the material on that album. I was determined that I was not going to make the same mistake twice so I took my time to get things right. That's why I sound so redefined on this album. A lot of people think that the correct way of getting your name out there is to flood the market with a ton of material. The problem with that method is you will wear yourself thin and burnout. But when you take the time and make a good album, the fans will appreciate it more. Always remember people: Less is More!

Noyz Beatmaker: You got to break your neck on more than half of the tracks… If you do so, now you know it’s a good one… You want to play the tracks again and again… you know it’s a good one… For example, I’m into Afu Ra’s Body of the life force these days and this album is crazy… It’s on heavy rotation in my car (laugh)…

18)         What was your creative direction towards making “Blood Written In Ink?”

Verse: That's a funny one. I'm recording my 2nd album now and when I got the beats from Chesko, I didn't want to write the same material similar to what I'm writing for my 2nd album. I wanted was to do something totally different.  I love Horrorcore hip hop and this was my chance to make this type of music, I jumped on it and it's be history ever since. The content on this album is nothing like anything else I ever done. It's much darker and more violent but entertaining at the same time. I don't ever want my latest project to sound like my last projects. Every album from me must have a life of its own.

19)         You guys have worked with different producers and other artists. What do you look for in a collaborator and when you listen to a new artist?

Noyz Beatmaker and Chesko : We worked with many MCs as we were part of the Soulslicers… Afu Ra chose my beat to do our Anthem… Shyheim chose Chesko’s beat to do a track… We’re working right know with my man Sparkingtin from Harlem, with The Absouljah, Spicco and Halfabrick of the Team Thoro. We got Ice Water from the Bronx working on a track. We’re down with M-Dot from Boston… he’s incredible... And we have some other plans but it’s too early to talk about those… But trust me you won’t be disappointed…

20)         What’s the one thing about the current state of hip hop that you absolutely love?

Verse: I love how diverse hip hop is today. You got nerds, thugs, intellects, and all types of people making music and they are all bringing unique energy to this music.  Back in the day, it was pretty much one trend after the other. Now the fans have choices which are good because you can support whatever movement you want without getting ridiculed over it. I look at hip hop today as one big really big bowl of fruits and vegetables with the choice of eating anything you like. Trust me, hip hop was not like that years ago. 

Noyz Beatmaker and Chesko: One of the best things is the possibility for us to work so easily with US rappers… With the internet you can do amazing connections and get bangers you wouldn’t believe…

21)         Verse, what is it like collaborating with producers from overseas and is there a difference between American producers and overseas producers?

Verse: It is fun connecting with producers overseas because they are always hungry to work with artists that want to make quality music. I can tell you now, if it wasn't for the constant love I receive from producers overseas, my music wouldn't exist. To them, it's all about the music. I get turned off fast when a producer cares more about their cash than their music.  I'm not saying money isn't important because it is but I cut off too many producers that were a pain in the ass about getting paid and their beats were straight up garbage. I'm just saying.....

22)         What do you think about hip hop nowadays?

Verse: Hip hop today has more diversity and more choices. Like I said earlier, it's a much bigger bowl of fruits and vegetables with the freedom to pick whatever you want. That's why it kills me that some fans say there is no real hip hop today but when you ask them who is their favorite rapper is, they tell you about some old fart that nobody but them gives a damn about. And in my head, I'm saying to myself that you have all these dope choices like Skyzoo, Sean Price, Vinnie Paz, myself and so many others and the rapper you choose to support is a cornball to everybody's else's eyes except yours! But what can you do.  At the end of the day, I don't care who else my fans support because as long as they are supporting me, I'm giving them my all.

23)         The state of hip hop is in chaos. Any opinions on that!

Verse: Says who?!???!!?  Let me correct you, the world is in chaos not hip hop. Hip hop today is in a beautiful state. We have so many choices and everybody's bringing a different energy to this. Some fans can be one sided at times but that something all artists have to deal with. When people tell me real hip hop is not available, I say to them yes it is but you just got to keep your ears open. I'm an artist yes but I'm still a fan and always will be a fan no matter how big my name gets. A good artist always wants to be in the know because they always want to see who else is in the same profession as them. Watching other artists make names for themselves keeps me sharp because hip hop is constantly evolving. It never stays the same.

24)         Are we going to see more projects from you guys together?

Verse: Possibly. We just have to see how this album goes. We had a blast doing it. And I learned a lot more about putting albums together. It's a tedious process. I lost count on the amount of times things didn't go right but we never gave up on this project. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. But as long as Chesko and Noyz continue to make hot beats, I'll always have ideas for great music. So time will tell is you hear more Art Form Rejects projects in the future.

25)         So what’s the next step for you guys?

Verse: I'm recording my 2nd album now and that is coming out crazy. That should be available for purchase in 2013. I'm also featured on a few new projects from other artists so you’re going to see my name pop up all over the scene.

26)         Where can headz get at ya guys to work with you or to buy your music?

Verse: You can get our music and other free stuff on verseessential.bandcamp.com. The album is also available on iTunes, Cdbaby, Amazon and a few other retail sites for purchase. You can find Art Form Rejects videos on YouTube as well. Just simply google Art Form Rejects and a ton of things will come up. This is just the tip of the iceberg. It's about to get crazier. Much love to the fans and thank you for interviewing us.

Noyz Beatmaker and Chesko: We got our official blog barz4thehood.blogspot.com/ where you can find all about our actuality… We’re also on twitter @NoyZBeatmaker @Cheskobeatmaker and Facebook…