INTERVIEW: HASAN SALAAM

August 22, 2008 at 11:43 pm (INTERVIEWS)
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H.I. What does your name mean? what language is that?
H.S.  Hasan was prophet Muhammads grandsun he was an imam(spiritual leader) and a warrior.
Salaam means peace. For me it means that i wanna be at peace whether i have to build or destroy thru good times and bad just have that center of peace.  Hasan is arabic and also swahili i believe
salaam is arabic its root word is lam which is aramaic the parent of arabic and hebrew
lam means peace.
H.I. So you are muslim? Were you born into that way of life?

H.S. Nah i wasn’t born muslim, I started studying around the age of 12-13
H.I. What age are you now? what prompted that switch?
H.S.  27, my mother made me read the autobiography of Malcolm x
after that i read the supreme wisdom by Elijah Muhammad.

H.I. Was she Muslim also, or just trying to do the right thing by her son?
H.S. She just wanted me to have knowledge of self
my mother came up in the 60s she was in the peace corp and marched with King.
H.I. were you wilding out before then?
H.S. I  experienced alot and I’ve always tip toed that line even after i knew what was right i still was  H.I.  What city are you from?
H.S.  I’m from Teaneck and Jersey city, New jersey.

H.I. most rappers who call themselves Muslim that I see in the fore front are rapping about shootouts and drugs. What are your raps primarily about?

H.S. Life, Overcoming obstacles, pain, trials & tribulations, love, lust, philosophy -                           

H.I. Wait! you rap about Lust?

H.S. family, everyone has lust my rhymes are honest. every part of me as a person is in my jawns
 my music is 360.

H.I. ok, so what would be the biggest misconception people have of you before  they listen to your music, or even before they meet you?

H.S. that ima saint (laughter) or that im a racist

H.I. it may be the name, have you always used that as your emcee name?

H.S. Sun I’ve had a lot of names. My 1st was Hasan the Chief. Then it was Pinnacle
One day my ex was like you should just use your name. That was the only good advice shorty ever had.

H.I. It’s funny you mention your ex because i was just about to bring up your first album Paradise Lost  the song, Affair To Remember, was that the same ex you speak of? or was that a merging of different characters?

H.S.  Nah, Affair To Remember is one woman though
but different from the one in that song.

H.I. Why did you name the album Paradise Lost?
H.S. The book by John Milton was very biblical and it spoke about falling from grace
it was one of the bases most christians use. along with dantes inferno
that shaped ideas of heaven and hell.I looked at that and like what he intended - it was actually an attack on politics in the UK at the time. So i was like we are the people of the bible here in the wilderness of North America we were stolen from the best part and forced to the worst i had to bring the knowledge of that 1st.

H.I. So though you are a Muslim, you read the bible?

H.S. yes i read everything i can. Islam is infinite.  What makes me muslim is the 5 pillars. I  dont worship a man or a book, There is no spook in the sky to me.
Islam is a way to live ones life. The root of it is the same as salaam - lam is peace 

H.I. Thats heavy. So with the fist album, you said that you weren’t to particularwith how much it sold and that you wanted to get things off your chest.
did it work?

H.S. Yes all of my music is for the people. Whether they buy it or not
i need to get this off my chest id be writing and spitting whether people hear it or not.

H.I. That was 2006. I’m supposing you have a whole lot more on your chest. What has changed in the world since then? What has changed in your  world?
H.S.  My family situation is hectic, community shit is crazy, the world is out of control, were still not free.
H.I. So this album coming, Children Of God, would reflect the escalation of hard times per se?
H.S. This album is actually more in depth. Wisdom is empirical knowledge
wise words being spoken. Some equate it to experience, but with out knowledge experiences can be wasted. I deal alot with things the sisters are going thru on this one.

H.I. is it harder to digest then Paradise Lost? When you say deep, some people’s red flags raise up. What’s the difference between Paradise Lost and Children Of God?
H.S.  Nah, Its just some real talk shit. life shit. Like i said Paradise Lost was the knowledge
this is the wisdom. The production on Children Of God is on a much higher level

H.I. What is the difference in production? you produce yourself dont you? 

H.S. i did 2 tracks, Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian did one. kasim keto did two,
Craig Rip did four. Def Dom, Impaq and iron Braydz did one each.

H.I. How did you get lord jamar on Angel Dust? What was that experience?
H.S. We met at a show and he said he was digging what i was doing. i grew up listening and respecting Brand Nubian so its an honor. they paved the way for an artist such as myself

H.I. For people who don’t do music or any other type of artistic expression, how could they help their communities?
H.S.  Volunteer to help the youth, or the elderly. Help clean up the neighborhood. help the homeless with food and clothes. Even something so simple as greeting people with peace can change things whatever it is you know or you do well – teach it to the seeds
we need to get back on that it takes a village mentality.

H.I. speaking on it takes a village, you are taking the indie route for this album. Paradise Lost was on day by day, you had management what changed?
H.S. I re released Paradise Lost on my own and Children Of God  is on me too

H.I. And the distribution?
H.S. Wherever you see me. I want as many people to hear my music as possible
but im not tryin to be nobody’s slave.
H.I. understood. Now i bump into you all over the country, what were some of the memorable places and shows you’ve experienced?
H.S. Last year i rocked at the zulu Nation Anniversary, that was dope. The We The People festival in Watts, California. The red gone wild tour was dope, all my shows in the UK. The UMA’s (Underground Music Awards) 

H.I. You won a UMA?
 H.S.  Two. Song of the year and best live performance. I won those in 2006.

H.I. why do people book you all over the world with no airplay and major push?
H.S. because i make good music and I work on the business side.
H.I. Thats what is, When does the album drop?
H.S. September 2nd, People can pre order at cdbaby.com/cd/hasansalaam4 - The release party is at the Bowery Poetry Club on Sept 12th

H.I.  is there any artist, producer, any activist, any gang, any hood that you have not encountered yet but you wish to?

H.S. I wanna travel thru all of africa fam4 real shows or not, I really wanna go to gore island, 
its the last place slaves would be before we were sent here or to the carribean 

H.I. Before we close, I’d like for you to honor the name of anyone who is not here with us right now
H.S. r.i.p. my peoples Terrence Mosley, Gary Farrar, Swift andmy Grand Earth Ms. Luke
and all the ancestors that gave their lives for us 2 be here

 

 

 

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INTERVIEW: STYLES P. STILL A GANGSTER, MORE OF A GENTLEMAN

August 19, 2008 at 10:34 pm (INTERVIEWS)
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Bunchy of HOOD INTELLIGENCE caught up with Lox/D-Block’s Styles P. 

 

H.I.  Because of  your song I’m Black,  you’re known to some people as a Hardcore MC with a Political edge: Was this your first song making a social statement? Or have people been missing the essence of your music?

S.P. Nah, I been doing that, probably was my first song. Nah, I couldn’t even say that, cuz there was one on my last album. I forgot the title of it, but it was like off of an Al Green beat (ed. note the song in question is Listen which samples Al Green’s Love and Happiness)

H.I.:   Do your fans appreciate the socio-political side? Or does it alienate them?

S.P. I mean I wouldn’t Call It exactly political. I just call it the human side             I wouldn’t call it political, I call it  being a fucking human being.

H.I. In The past, there have been people that didn’t want to touch D block  based on opposing forces out there. Who has done the opposite? Who has shown love to you regardless of whom or what?

S.P. The Streets, ALWAYS. Anybody in the industry, I don’t care about who’s against us or who’s wit’ us. You know? I just let it be.

H.I.   How did you link up for the song Comrades Call  with M-1 of dead prez?

 S.P. I liked their work, I always seen them and always told them that I enjoyed their music. I love their work, then there was one day, I forget where we was at. He was like ‘let’s link up.’ I was like Hell Yeah, so we just did the joint.

 

H.I. Anything planned for the future?

S.P. I hope to be on their next album- I definitely got some shit to say on there.

 H.I. The title of your first album was A Gangster and a Gentleman, a lot of people use this phrase now..Was it something you coined or just something you made more popular, because I never heard it before your album.

S.P.  Nah I made that up myself. I mean that’s just the truth, I was working on my solo album. I wanted to give them me. It was time to give them me.  And I thought that was the best way to describe myself.

H.I. That was a few years ago. Do you hold the same description of yourself?

 S.P. Right now you could call me a gentleman and a gangster. Same description, but you can switch it around. I’m more gentleman than gangster nowadays.

 H.I. What song represents Styles P the most?

 S.P. The song that I did that represented me the most, they shot me under the door with it.That would have been I’m Black.

 H.I. How did that work out for you?

 S.P. It didn’t.

H.I. What did you expect? Who did you want to be embraced by…if anyone?

 S.P. I would have hoped it would have been embraced definitely. I did it more so the fact that it needed to be done. I’m a rapper with so much street credibility; it would be better hearing shit from me, somebody from the streets cuz the people could relate it more. I feel like it something that needed to be said you know?

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H.I. Did you lose or gain any fans by doing I’m Black?

 S.P. My core audience knows that I’m going to drop a jewel anyway, I might not do a whole song, but that’s part of Styles P. So, some people expected it from me. I just looked at it as something that needed to be said.  

I make street music; I don’t really give a fuck to tell you the truth. You like it you like it-you don’t-you don’t, if you feel it you feel it, I’m happy for that, if you don’t? Then you ain’t gotta listen to it. Listen to something else. I’m not really a worrisome artist like that.

 H.I. You’re more natural. 

  S.P. I been doing what  I do for years naturally and people love me for it so I stick to the script

H.I.  I’ver heard you say that you are not a half ass emcee.What does a half ass emcee sound like?

 S.P. About 50% of the industry

 H.I. When you write a verse..

 S.P. : I don’t write, shit flows through my head and I gotta put a song in my head when the beats on. I’m a spur of the moment kind of guy.

H.I. Are you still in the same community?

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S.P. I’m a block away from  The Hood. well we’re in The Hood, but a block away literally from MY Hood.

H.I. What do you have on your mind that you haven’t put in a song as yet because it may have been hard to manifest?

 S.P. I used to have that problem; I had that problem before I came out of jail.

 I would have said It woulda been I’m Black If you would have asked me that before. I mean me, I express myself most of the time. Wait, I have to take that back. Before I go out, I gotta do a song breaking down the wickedness in the game and the people in it.

 H.I. What are some of the things wicked things in the game that we have to look out for?

S.P. Everything and everybody in it.

 H.I. Is there anything that  you saw when you were coming up on the outside looking in that you didnt like about rappers and the industry that you found yourself doing? 

 S.P. Nothing that I saw in other rappers.  I wish that I wasn’t so…but you cant even say that, cuz everything happens for a reason…and you learn from your past mistakes and the things you are.But I wish people didn’t know that I would stand up for myself so much… I wish I would have did that quieter. You know?  I wish I would have just had my temper cooler in my earlier years.

Then I would never have got locked up and lose money and my family have to suffer from my mistakes. I would say that. Being locked up and spending lawyer money and bail money.

H.I.  So that would pretty much explain the shift in the order of the gentleman and the gangster?

S.P. Yea. It would

H.I. So now how do you stand up for yourself? Most people think that when some one is on the offensive, there is only one way to respond.

 S.P. It’s about calming down for the moment, I guess not reacting off the moment, but before I  used to react fast off the moment. People knew that I would be the one to flip fast. I just didn’t want that pinned to me.

H.I. Obviously there are alot of people who wont take heed to that right away, but do look up to you. The reality is, if people want to bang, they will bang. If you could tell them to bang for a certain thing. Lets say out of Money, Power, Respect Or Freedom? What would it be?

S.P. Freedom First. Freedom is more important than everything. Freedom and Respect is on top of the line too. It’s a toss up.

H.I. One of your parents are African.

 S.P. My mom is South African.

 H.I. Have you ever been?

S.P. Nah

H.I. Ever plan to?

 S.P. I was supposed to go before my ass ended up in jail. I have some trips I’m supposed to go, but I kind of want to go to South Africa first. Then I’m good. Definitely so.  ASAP.

 H.I. Do you still have any roots out there?

S.P. My mom…all her family is gone.

 H.I. So it’s a personal trip.

S.P. Yea indeed so, I don’t have no family back home

WATCH STYLES P PERFORM “I’M BLACK” LIVE AT THE APOLLO

 

 

 

 

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INTERVIEW: CHAMILLIONARE –

August 15, 2008 at 11:38 pm (INTERVIEWS)
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PART 1 

H.I. Tell us about your upbringing:

CH:Yea, when I was coming up, it was kind of crazy, you know because my Dad was Muslim.  He wasn’t just like.. He was a real big Muslim. He was the president of Muslim Association of Houston. Hakeem Olajuwon went to his mosque.  So he was  the real dude. And my mom was the complete invert. Growing up seeing that as kids, my brothers all of us we would just have to make decisions all the time. So our dad would take us to the mosque and my mom would sneak us out the mosque early to go to church. So it was real crazy. They wasn’t big on rap. There wasn’t no rap music, you know even basketball, they let us out for a couple of hours you know what I’m saying, and we would have to come home before the lights on.

H.I. Tell me about the writing style that you developed over the years?

CH: Like  I said my dad didn’t really like the rap game so he would come in and get mad, because I had the rap on the table. So what I would do, I would teach myself to write real sloppy. I’d start  writing real sloppy so when he’d come in he would think it was school work.   He would think my school work was out you know what I’m saying. He just never had a trace on the whole rap game. You know, with a rebellious child, that’s what they do.  When they’re told not to do something, they go do it.

The rap game kind of interested me, so i could get myself away from all the bad stuff that was going, they was arguing..I’ve been writing sloppy for so many years that I can’t write neat now. In life  you’re going to have a whole bunch of choices, I’m a person that had to deal with that over and over again – young. Always had to make a choice. I know who I am, I know how to make decisions.  I believe in my gut now.

A lot of things even being on a major label, everybody is going to have an opinion on everything.   But I just trust my gut and go wit it and I do that comfortably.  The way I grew up, I been doing that. Actually making decisions, but its not been easy doing, because everybody got an opinion on something. What’s good, what’s bad, what’s wrong. I trust my gut and it might tell me something different and  when I do it a lot of people may go against me because everybody wants you to do what they want you to do. It’s MY life ,and I tell everybody that I wanna do something THIS way, they like “nah, I think you should do it this way- this way works”. And I do it THIS way, everybody’s looking at me like ‘what’s wrong with you?” So that happened to me my whole life you know? With the decision being on the label, everybody following suit , going with what the CEO saying, and I’ll be like “you know what? Naw, I don’t wanna do that, I don’t think that makes money” Like I always say: A broke nigga is always gonna tell you how to make a dollar”. They always want to tell you how to do something, but you look at their life – and their life ain’t nowhere! So I’m going to get it the way I know how. Going against the grain.

PART 2 COMING SOON

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NEGRODAMUS: MY 2ND CHAT WITH MR. PAUL MOONEY

August 12, 2008 at 8:05 pm (INTERVIEWS)
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When the lay person is asked to name legends in comedy, a deserved yet redundant list is oft volunteered. Seldom mentioned is the man who is responsible not only for the success of many on this list but a host of others. He is Mr. Paul Mooney.

With a career spanning over thirty years, Paul Mooney’s prestige within the comedy world had been cemented by the fact that he wrote material for the undisputed King of Comedy himself, Richard Pryor. However, more importantly, by conceptualizing stories and writing for programs such as Sanford and Son, The Jefferson’s and Good Times he made it possible for black comedians to star and  express themselves honestly through the medium of television.  Mooney not only co-penned Richard Pryor’s autobiographical Jo-Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling” but also several of Pryor’s comedy albums.

 He even wrote episodes for NBC’s Saturday Night Live.

Known for socio-political humor (usually founded upon race issues), Mooney always set himself apart by expressing his mind without being intimidated by the powers that be or racial climate of the times. Said of Mitzi Shore’s Comedy Store which boasts of alumni ranging from Eddie Murphy to David Letterman): “they all studied me and watched me, I freed all of them, trust me – I freed them all.” 

In 1990, he began writing for sketch show “In Living Color” which starred The Wayans family, David A. Grier, Jamie Foxx and Tommy Davidson. Mooney created and developed one of the 90’s most recognizable characters, Homey the Clown. Mooney says he modeled Homey after himself. The resemblance of course was more related to his no nonsense stance on his environment then it was to the clown make up.  Above notwithstanding, no stranger to clowns, he was the FIRST  Black Ringmaster. This fact is so amazing that its veracity is oft questioned. He responds simply; “That’s true, it was with the Gatti Charles Circus!” It perhaps was here that Mooney cultivated his talent to move large crowds.  When asked what year he started comedy, the answer is an esoteric: “I was born a comedian.”.

While most writers credit his first paying job as a writer for The Richard Pryor TV Show, overlooked are Mooney’s humble beginnings with San Francisco folk group “Joe and Eddy”. As fate would have it a younger Paul Mooney broke barriers by taking the place of a white comedian named Ronnie Shell who couldn’t work that night.

 Since the 70’s comedian’s have come and gone and after the smoke clears, Paul Mooney has always been the Last Man Standing. He doesn’t not shy away from speaking on his influence on today’s comics:  “All of them, I’m their tree, black and white.”  Of course it’s no surprise that he sees himself in the Mooney Twins, his sons Darryl and Dwayne who are motivational speakers and comedians in their own right, who state simply “our father is a genius.” but reminding us that true talent surpasses all barriers, even comedienne/Actress Sandra Bernhard credits Paul Mooney with both being one of the two funniest people alive and as being her mentor; saying that he “took me under (his) wing and raised me in this business.”. Says Jimmie “JJ” Walker he’s the greatest…the best…not a sell out … he’s..the truth.”.

 

With such a reputation, it was only natural for him to be invited to join the writing/acting cast of the acclaimed Dave Chappelle Show of which he has been a part since 2003.

When asked how comedy changed in the last 30 years, he says “it hasn’t. Cooning still in exists, it’s all bamboozled.”. The persistence of “cooning” in Black entertainment was the theme of Spike Lee’s Bamboozled wherein Paul Mooney played the comic “Junebug”. In 2001, he spawned “Call Me Claus”, a TNT movie starring Whoopi Goldberg- produced by Garth Brooks. What sets him apart, bluntly put, “None of them do what I do, they take hostages, I don’t take hostages.”. At press time Paul Mooney is finally the star of his own television show, Comedy Central’s Judge Mooney and also packs Caroline’s Comedy Club (NY) every month. Here, the Godfather of Comedy still shows them how to do it, promising “I’m not gonna whiten up, I’m gonna tighten up.”

 

by: Bunchy

special thanks to Jimmie Walker for the assistance… 

 

 

editor’s note:

Our first chat was more like a spat that took place in 2001 which ended with me asking him who the fuck he thought he was talking too before i stormed out…

Glad he didn’t remember..or did he???

Watch him here speaking on Hip Hop and of course the infamous FUCK OPRAH

 

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