Casey Veggies: "F*ck Witchu"
Young Veggies releases the first single off of his upcoming Life Changes project, set to drop this month on the 22nd. As the new year begins, Casey continues to move forward as a young veteran. 2013 is going to be another interesting year for Casey, who is thriving as an artist in the spotlight while still working independently. Now word on whether Casey will be signing to a major anytime soon, so for now enjoy "F*ck Witchu", produced by Terrence Clayton, and stay tuned.
[Closed Sessions] Raekwon: "Keep It Politics" (prod. by DJ Babu)
In the very early days of Closed Sessions, the early-early days, we would sit around and talk about our hopes for the label and what we wanted to do. I remember at those earliest meetings, we would throw around the names of our favorite emcees and make a hopeful list of future Closed Sessions participants. Raekwon was brought up and early and often as an artist we one day hoped to work with. On a warm day in mid October of 2010, we crossed Rae off the list as he made a visit to SoundScape for a Closed Sessions and also rocked a very special edition of Digital Freshness. We've come a very long way since then, and worked with many of our favorite artists, but the Raekwon session always sticks out as the one that let me know that we were now playing in the big leagues.
For his part, Raekwon spent two days with us, sharing knowledge, debating the top emcees in Hip Hop and opened up about his thoughts on his legacy and the legacy of the Wu-Tang Clan. It was great to learn that Raekwon still had that drive to be great. As he says in the documentary, "I'm gonna stop, when I want to stop," and he's no where near stopping. During the Closed Session, Raekwon picked production from DJ Babu, someone he'd met once or twice, but never had a chance to work with. After going through several joints from Babu, Raekwon selected what sounded like an "off-tempo beat," one he said reminded him of the something from the Rza. The rest as they say is history.
Download the newest single from Closed Sessions Vol. 2, "Keep It Politics" from Raekwon and DJ Babu and also watch the new documentary on the next page.
[Interview] The Tao of Mic Terror
I'm sitting next to Mic Terror, both of us are looking straight ahead at a giant cube that sits just four feet away from us in the middle of the United Center. In just a few minutes, the large cube will light up and one of the greatest rappers of all time, Jay-Z, will use it as a stage when the lights drop low and The Watch The Throne show starts. If either of us got the brilliant idea to give Jay-Z a high-five during this performance, we could. We'd probably get a good 30 seconds in before some security guard grabs us, takes us backstage, and then it's really anybody's guess what would happen from there. If you only know Mic Terror through songs like "Hioooo" or "Juke Them Hoes", you may expect Mic to do just that. Slap Jay-Z a high five, grab his crotch, give the crowd a loud "hioooooo.... Mic Terror in the house" then jump off stage. But when Jay-Z hits the cube, Mic is just chilling and taking it all in. In fact, Mic's just a chill cat with an off the mic persona that can be in direct contrast to the Mic Terror that first came onto the music scene a few years ago with the songs mentioned above.
"My representations that I have out right now are like 5 years old," Mic tells me from the couch at SoundScape studios. "So that's a completely different mindset. The fact that it even impresses people still is great to me. Like, 'damn, you like this s**t from when I was 18? for real? That's great," he continues adding that going forward fans will see and hear a more adult mindframe from the man responsible for the Chicago cult classic "Porno Movies".
It turns out Mic Terror is a thoughtful person with many sides. He's just as much into comedy movies like "Fear of The Black Hat" as he is a student of philosophy and history. "I would definitely say that I'm big into Taoism, and I'm big on balance," he says. "Whenever I put one type of energy out, I'll usually put the other out right beside it to balance. I got philosophical s**t on my new project, Riverdale The Musical. I read a lot of philosophy and s**t. It kind of oozes, comes out in some way. I'm in the hood at the same time, so the ignorance comes out along with it."
That balance is front and center on "Habibi", the new single from Mic Terror's forthcoming Riverdale The Musical, which will be released on Christmas day. The song takes place inside Mic's neighborhood liquor store, where he has a conversation with Habibi, the store's owner. The two discuss Arab and African-American relations, the purpose of religion, as well as politics. Yet in true Mic Terror form, there is still room for Mic to make sure Haibbi breaks him off with a pack of Trojans. "That's just the balance that's always there," he tells me about the song. "I never forget about one thing cause I'm on something else. The whole one dimensional thing, I can't even really do it at one time. Every piece is always gonna come out at all times. It's like, 'God body woo woo... but, these b***hes are looking at us right now. I still see them looking…" But that also says too, it's kind of like, how seriously can you take all this s**t? You'd damn near kill yourself trying to take it all seriously. You don't got time to real worry about it. I know it's there, but I still got to live."
Mic Terror's been living in an interesting space for the last few years, one of full of promise and potential. As early as 2008, Mic Terror was listed amongst Chicago's "next to blow" a list he still inhabits every time one is put together. It's not something that goes unnoticed by the Riverdale emcee, or something that he takes for granted. "Really, it's just more so proving it at this point, just delivering what the people have been waiting for me to do. So, it's definitely just like business sets back a lot of things like that, and just life in general. So, you gotta stop and pay bills and things of that nature for a while. I will say this, I've never seen anybody hold onto that as much as me. I think a lot of people would've stopped looking. The fact that people are still looking at me in that light is like a sign. It's like, 'ok, I'm sitting on something.'" That belief has kept Mic going and served as an added fuel. "I've seen a lot of people come and go and I've just been here. I'm just here like, 'I'm still here.' They're like, 'I know he's gonna do something. I'm just waiting.' And I just got to deliver that to them at this point and I'm going to deliver it 10 fold."
While Riverdale The Musical is Mic Terror's Christmas gift to his fans, it's not the last project we'll see from him in the next few months. So while some people are asking Mic why things are taking too long, to him and his Treated Crew, this is perfect timing. "Man, this is very good timing. Everybody's on their grind," he says about Treated, which also includes artists such as Hollywood Holt, Million $ Mano, Gzus Piece, Sulaiman and Jon James. "A lot of people, especially in the Chicago scene, we were together, but not really. And everybody kind of fell on their face to some degree. It was like, 'they're gonna be the…' and then it was, 'oh no, they're gonna be the…' Then it was like, everybody was more so competing with each other instead of working together. And everybody kind of fell and it was like, 'OK, let's regroup, figure out what we did wrong.'
Mic sees Chicago artists fixing previous mistakes by working together more often, and taking ownership of a sound and style that was created in the windy city, yet is used all over the map. He continues, "At the end of the day we have a lot of people biting us. The LA movement is actually a bite of us, and they'll admit it whenever we're in their city. Like, 'I was listening to you the whole time.' It's like, they know. And they're not better than us at what we do either. None of these other movements are better. We have the most gangster rapper here, they'll kill you way further than that other dude will. We got the freshest dudes. You're not out swaging Mano. You can't! You're not gonna out rap me. It's just really about regrouping and getting rid of the last little pieces of the crab mentality that we had. I think we got rid of a lot of it compared to the generations before us, but, we still have a little bit of it leftover. I feel like we've really gotten rid of it. I'm working on an album with Chuck Inglish. Those have been my friends for a long time, but I've never done anything with them. I got like 3 songs with Mikey Rocks now. We're all working. And not just them, I'm f**king with LEP. Everybody is like, 'yo, we got to do this.'"
Mic Terror's new album, Riverdale The Musical, will be released December 25th. It is just the start to an onslaught of new material from Mic who is in "Tupac or Lil' Wayne mode," he says. "I'm like a three song a day type of n***a at this point, pumping them out and really in my mode. I got way more." Hiooooo, indeed.
Similar To The Letters Mixtape Release Party
On Friday night we hosted a release party for GLC X RTC's Similar To The Letters Mixtape @ The NV Penthouse. The night included dope DJ sets by Rock City, Million $ Mano, and Hollywood Holt, and a good time was had by all. If you don't believe us or weren't there to experience it yourself, Benny Rocs was on his A Game and has the pics to prove it. Check them out below, you might just see yourself...The mixtape drops for DL on Weds, and Imeem hooked up an exclusive first listen. Check it out below.
First Look: XV
Kansas born XV is currently eclipsed in a Hip Hop version of the great flood. Sending cyberspace a wash in new material, XV has undertaken a 40 Days/40 Nights project in which he drops a new song every AM and every PM. Each day XV gives the world new tracks about his love for video games, girls, comics, and how he left earth for the distant Planet Squaria before settling in the Coolniverse. What?!?! If that last part threw you for a bit of a loop, XV's not surprised in the slightest.
"Esoteric should be my genre of music, because I don't expect everybody to get it," he told RubyHornet about his highly conceptual music, which tells the story of a young man finding himself through creative expression. "I still don't feel like I fit in," he continues, "because I'm socially outcasted by many of my peers, but I've found clarity in who I am." That clarity is on display and currently getting thumbs up from artists, writers, and fans alike. So much so that XV is plotting a nationwide tour, and currently working on the release of a proper LP, The Kid With The Green Backpack.
In this edition of RH First Look, we turn the microscope on XV. Here the emcee introduces himself, talks about his crazy journey through outerspace, clears up rumors about dissing Charles Hamilton, and talks Lupe Fiasco comparisions. Check it out.
RubyHornet: I know that XV stands for the age at which you started rhyming. What was happening in your life and music-wise that pushed you to start creating songs?
XV: ALOT! See, the main reason behind my super-simple name, "XV", is that I just turned 15 when I decided to get SERIOUS with pursuing a career in music. But, the inspiration behind that change was that I just lost a close friend of mine to suicide right before I entered high school. It changed me completely as a person, and I was kind of lost in who I was. One part of me was this kid that collects Jakks toy wrestlers, loves Batman The Animated Series, and video games. The other side was this kid that found himself trying to fit in with the older kids from the neighborhood, getting into fights and hanging out on the streets, sometimes not even coming home. Then, I finally just decided that I did't want to turn into "THAT" person, so I started getting really serious with music. I Saved up enough money to buy my own computer, and the whole summer that I turned 15 I taught myself how to produce, record, and release my own music. I dropped my first album independently a year later. It sucked though, so I ask nicely that nobody tries to dig that album up. Thank you. Hahaha!
RubyHornet: You're from Kansas. Really, Kansas? What's the climate like in your neck of the woods a month out from the election?
XV: Hahaha, yes...I am from Smallville, Kansas. I just landed here though, don't you DARE blame me! Haha. But even though I live in the biggest city in Kansas, it still has a very "small-town" feel to it. You know, sports are a very big thing here, which is one reasons why I was widely ignored by the general public. And not NFL, NBA, NCAA kind of sports, high school sports! Like Varsity Blues or something. It's not very "country" out here, but nonetheless, we're still a RED state. We still have our DIE-HARD Fox News republicans. For instance, I just flew to New York City last week, and one of my fellow Kansans on the plane told me and my producer, Seven, to stop cursing. And the last thing I wanted to do was cause a scene on a flight to New York City. So, I just opened my laptop and watched some Richard Pryor stand-up. Without headphones on. Haha!
RubyHornet: You are currently in the midst of 40 Days/40 Nights. For our readers that don't know, break down the rules real quick. What was your inspiration for this venture, is it a really big nod to Noah? What's been the hardest part in keeping up?
XV: Well, the REGULAR idea was to drop a new song every day for 40 days, 40 nights. THEN, I thought...wait...wait...what if I dropped a new song EVERY MORNING and EVERY NIGHT for 40 days, playing on the words, "40 DAYS and 40 NIGHTS". The inspiration behind it was that I just beat "Gears of War" on INSANE mode, Rockband 2 didn't come out for another month, and I had 2 months before I started recording my album. So, I didn't have anything better to do. Plus, my horoscope said I was going to embark on a "spiritual concept" that day. Everything just fell into place. And I had a lot of artists that I've wanted to work with, but I didn't want to make another mixtape following, The Square In The Circle, so I figured I would just start recording! The hardest part in keeping up is that I don't like the concept of sleep, but my body conforms to it. So, I'll stay up working in the studio until 4 or 5 in the morning, and I'll sleep until noon, and miss the morning drop. Me and Seven do everything ourselves, so traveling, working, doing interviews and blogging on TheCoolniverse.com (shameless plug) can sometimes run into posting a new track. But, all the music is already done.
RubyHornet: So, as I understand it, you left Earth for Planet Squaria before coming back and heading for the Coolniverse. What was it that made you take off from Earth, and why come back now?
XV: I took off from Earth because I just felt I didn't belong here. When I say, "I don't fit in", I don't say that rebelliously or trying to be different, or whatever. I really DO NOT fit in. Not only in the music industry, but anywhere. I go to clubs, and people are like, "what is that 12 year old kid doing in here?" because I look mad young! I go to see my old friends from my hood and everybody's smokin' and talking about "the spot" last night, and I'm like..."Did anybody catch that Heroes episode?" And Hip-Hop was just getting ridiculous. I needed a break from it all, so I left and headed for Planet Squaria, my home away from home that is actually in my home. I returned because the trip helped me find myself, and my vision, and what I want to bring back musically. I still don't feel like I fit in, because I'm socially outcasted by many of my peers, but I've found clarity in who I am.
RubyHornet: In terms of Planet Squaria, the Coolniverse etc...all of that is very conceptual and so is your music. Do you feel that by having so many concepts that you are painting yourself as esoteric in a way, and some people just won't give your music a chance based on all the other stuff?
XV: Definitely! I like the way you used that word. Esoteric should be my genre of music, because I don't expect everybody to get it. I only want to appeal to the people that want to get it, that want to expand their horizons, and travel to other parts of the universe, haha. I don't expect everybody to relate to my love for video games, comic books, toys, and concepts of space, but I appreciate those that appreciate the fact that I'm really being myself! I'll perform, and jump up and down on stage, do jump kicks, and everything and even though the person in the crowd wouldn't dare to act so ridiculous, I appreciate those that appreciate that I am comfortable enough to do that. But, some people just have their own ways of thinking and I can't knock that.
RubyHornet: RubyHornet is located in Chicago, and when I first played some of your tracks for my people out here, a lot of them compared you to Lupe Fiasco. Do you get that a lot, and if so, how is it weighing on you?
XV: I have definitely gotten that a lot. Especially with the hyper and higher toned voice that we both share, I have heard that from a few people. It doesn't bother me as much as it would if somebody said I sound like the next Shawty Lo, Hahaha. But, I'm comfortable enough creatively to know there are similarities and differences between me and Lupe. If you're familiar with the DC Comic universe, I guess I would be more like "Bizarro Lupe", hahaha, just not as clumsy. Haha!
RubyHornet: I've heard rumors that you're working on a mixtape with Charles Hamilton, and I've also heard rumors that you threw a little diss at him. For the record, set the rumors straight on RubyHornet.com.
XV: Both are true and false. I'm working on a mixtape featuring Charles Hamilton but not with Charles Hamilton. It will be like a mix of both of our records back to back, as if we're facing off like Sonic VS. Mario, since he represents Sonic and I'm a Nintendo head. But the whole mixtape and concept was going to be created by me and probably released before his mixtape, Sonic The Hamilton, since he has told me that SONIC WILL WIN. I doubt that. Hahaha. And yeah, I threw a little jab at him on my record, "Control", but it wasn't directed towards Charles Hamilton, the rapper, more like Charles Hamilton, the Sonic. I said, "Ni**az think they sonic, honestly I cannot tails." And, this was just to spark the beginning of Sonic VS. Mario. Even he took it out of context, even though I only talked about video games the entire song. That's that esoteric XV again though, so, can't blame him. It's all love at the end of the day though.
RubyHornet: In your mind, what does it mean to be "square"? On the flipside, what does it mean to be "cool"?
XV: If you were to ask Huey Lewis and The News that...well...you know how that goes. Haha. But a "square" is somebody who doesn't get what is "cool." Not in the form of non-conforming, but really doesn't understand what is cool. A lot of times my little brothers will show me something that people think is dope and I'll be like, "Really!? This is cool!?" And I just don't understand it. So, a square just goes on doing what they think is cool, but ends up being the exact opposite. A square will play Harry Potter on the XBOX the same day that GTA IV comes out. Hahaha. To be "cool" is like being something that everybody agrees is awesome. Like........Lil' Wayne! hahahahaha! That's the best answer for that. Haha.
RubyHornet: You have an interesting title for your next LP, clue our readers into it, what's the story behind that?
XV: The title is, The Kid With The Green Backpack, and it comes from a name that kids called me when I was in middle school. I was in this "smart kid" program in middle school, which was very low in numbers of black kids. I wasn't the coolest of the coolest, so I wore this green backpack, and I guess I walked around always clutching the straps of my backpack tightly. Since the kids that weren't in the program didn't know my name they just called me, The Kid With The Green Backpack. I found this out later in high school when one of those girls that didn't know my name handed me her phone number. Schwing!!!!
So the album is a concept album based around my life as a nobody in school, which actually parallels my life as a nobody in the music industry. And as the album progresses, I go through a bunch of events that change me and help me find myself to become a name in school, and become a face in the music industry. It's like the album John Hughes would make if he became a rapper. LOL.
RubyHornet: For some of our readers, this is their first introduction to you. What are three things that you want people to know about XV when listening to your music?
XV: One, I'm actually not as awesome as I try to make myself out to be. Second, I put my all into my lyrics and concepts, so please don't pass the opportunity to catch something that the average listener wouldn't catch. I always try to put something special in there. And third, my music is real! And I don't mean that in the sense of Plies's definition of "real". I mean, like, I say I love video games, add me on XBOX LIVE (Gamertag:XtotheV) and I'll get online and play. I say I'm an avid comic-reader, hit up my blog and let's talk comics. Everything I talk about is a part of me and my life, it's not a gimmick or a sales pitch. I figure that no matter how unique I try to think I am, there has to be some other squarians out there like me, so I just hope to bring some together. And then we can have a lock-in at the rec center! Cool!
Visit XV at the Coolniverse.
First Look: 6th Sense
6th Sense is building a very strong underground buzz both on the mic and behind the boards. After peeping and posting a few 6th Sense joints, we linked up with the NYC emcee/producer for the latest edition of RH First Look. Get to know 6th Sense below as he speaks on his introduction to music, clears up how he got his name, and explains why he's the best emcee behind the boards...aside from maybe Q-Tip.
RubyHornet: What was your introduction into music like? Do you remember a moment that made you go, 'I want to produce/rap?'
6th Sense: I was introduced to music from the moment I was born. Both of my parents played music growing up. My mother played classical piano when she was young, most of it self-taught. My father was a keys player in a few bands in the 70s. He was a songwriter too, he wrote a song for the Stylistcs, but it didn't make the cut for the album. There's baby pictures of me maybe a few weeks fresh out the hospital with a walkman on. I grew up listening to everything under the sun. The Beatles, EWF, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder was one of my favorites. One of my first words was "Wondie" which was what I called him. Michael Jackson was the S**T to me. When I was 4 I performed a Michael medley with the band at my Aunt & Uncle's wedding, there's some footage of that somewhere lying around.
I can remember being 10 years old and hearing a verse from DMC that blew my mind away... "My name is DMC, the one you know / The all-time great gonna steal the show..." I spent all day transcribing the lyrics. I can remember being 15 down at the Nuyorican Poet's Cafe for the first time. That WORDS open-mic with Rocky f**ked my whole world up. I don't even think I got on the mic the first time I went. I had already been listening to hip-hop for quite some time and I had been writing as well, but I remember that night was the first time I said "yo, I LOVE hip-hop." The next month I tore it down.
RubyHornet: Your name is 6th Sense. I've read that it is a reference to the song by Common. Can you set the record straight here about your name and how you came up with it?
6th Sense: If you read that it's a reference to Common, all I can say is that you googled 6th Sense. I'm kidding. All I can say is I had the name before he had that song, and I even had the name before the movie. You have to remember I was a young guy at the time. I might have been 14 or 15 when I came up with the name. My reasoning behind it was that music is my sixth sense. I think it's cool that I've really grown into the name as I've gotten older. I can be completely sober and feel a genuine attachment to the name. I mean, s**t, how else could someone like myself be able to do what it is I do? Gotta be a 6th Sense right?
RubyHornet: On "I Wanna Tell Ya" Remix you say, 'the best emcee behind the boards, besides maybe Q-Tip.' That's a bold statement, let us know what gives you that feeling?
6th Sense: The whole best MC behind the boards is something you don't hear in hip-hop discussions. We've heard best producer on the mic all the time. And there's a ton of great producers behind the mic. You could say that the best MC behind the boards is like the reversal of that, the flipside.
In hip-hop you kind of have to be over the top and give yourself some real inflating titles. Cats do it all the time. It's something I've never really done. It's not my style. The truth is, there isn't much of the MC's behind the boards kinda thing. So I'm just kinda rolling with that. F**k it. Naledge was talkin’ a lotta pimpery smack at the end of the remix so I threw that on there. But I had to keep it on the humble and big up Q-Tip.
If you try to overanalyze it, what does best MC behind the boards really mean? You're a dope MC but make wack beats? You're a rapper that happens to make hot beats? Chicken or egg? Who's on first? It's silly. But word. I get very busy on both ends.
RubyHornet: On "I Won't Let You Fall" you say, 'stop, go, what is the attraction?' are you referring to your attraction to being an artist there? If so, have you figured it out?
6th Sense: A lot of times, with a lot of lines I'm talking about a lot of things. But more than anything, I write for listeners to have their own unique attachment to it. As relating to the actual song, it's kind of a weird song. Like, I sampled Chris Brown for crying out loud, and I knew there was something dope about it, I just didn't know what it was. Just before that line, I let the beat drop so there was a "stop." And after that line I say "I'm just trying to do my part like a fraction." It's train of thought meets what's going on in the beat meets life philosophy.
It's all simple s**t, but at the same time there's some depth to it. It can mean whatever the listener wants.
RubyHornet: That track features you rocking over Chris Brown, is there a certain type of beat that especially drives you as an emcee? On the flipside, do you feel there is a certain type of beat that you are becoming known for as a producer?
6th Sense: I can't really say there's a certain type of beat that especially drives me as an MC, because I like to experiment and rock over a wide variety of music. If and when I get the chance to put together a solo album on a grand scale using other producers, you're going to hear cats that make music with their productions.
A few examples, I'm talking about Organized Noize, DJ Quik, Ryan Leslie. There's so many times where I'll put on the YouTube of Ryan Leslie making "Addiction" just for inspiration. We kind of make tracks the same exact way except he's got an arena and I'm playing ball with no shoes on. I'd even holler at Krewcial Keys & Alicia. I know if I went in the studio and they played me "Superwoman" just without Alicia singing, I'da taken that in a heartbeat. And of course, I'd have ?uestlove producing stuff, or The Randy Watson Experience, or the Yessirs, WHATEVER he wants to call it.
On the flipside, I don't know if there's necessarily a particular type of beat I'm getting known for. I can say that more than 3/4s of my stuff is sample free. People are noticing a lot of my synth work and synth lines. I don't know why, but people love it. I added keys to Snoop's "Think About It" on the platinum album Blue Carpet Treament. Ha. I think that because I come from such a long history of doing music with samples and loving that whole style, that I'm able to do keys and synths in a way that sample heads can still appreciate.
RubyHornet: Talk about Notherground. Is there a common philosophy or mindset that everyone involved shares? If so, what would it be?
6th Sense: You got to be willing to artistically not give a f**k, and take chances. You have to be able to GO. You have to allow yourself to exist outside the box and mind frame of the music industry. You have to be different.
Notice I didn't get into the musical aspects, because Notherground is bigger than just musicians.
RubyHornet: You were one of the first artists to come out with a pro-Obama song. A couple weeks ago various outlets asked if Hip Hop could potentially harm Obama's campaign because of such strong endorsements. Do you think there is any danger there, or that Hip Hop being behind Obama may put off some potential swing voters?
6th Sense: I made a pro-people song. This election ain't about Obama, it's about the people. The people ignite the people like Obama. I wish I could ignite the people like Obama.
The media and people need to be careful when exploring the affect of hip-hop's endorsement of Obama on voters. I feel there's more undertones of racism than what someone's taste of music is. If the media's going to pose the question then they have to think about the answer. If you think that hip-hop's changing a swing voters mind, that's ridiculous. Those are the folks that are probably not voting for Obama because he's black. I don't want to go deeper regarding all of that.
That's why I feel "Ignite The People" is special. There's no cursing in it. It's for all people, it's not just for the hip-hop audience. When Ludacris does a freestyle on a mixtape, that's obvious it's for the hip-hop audience. I appreciate that you called it a pro-Obama song as opposed to a hip-hop Obama track. We went all around the city, from the Apollo, to Central Park, Union Square, Times Square, Grand Central Station, the NYC subway and it was the entire human spectrum that we connected with.
"You ever think you'd see a white rapper endorse a black president?" That's the line right there.
RubyHornet: In your mind is there a difference between rapping and being an emcee, between making beats and being a producer? If so, where does that line lie and at what point would you say you crossed it?
6th Sense: The line between rapping and MCing is fuzzy so I don't really know. There's a definite line between beatmaking and producing and I crossed that line the second I started getting behind the boards.
RubyHornet: What does the rest of '08 and top of '09 hold for Mr. 6th Sense?
6th Sense: A lot. I'll be dropping a mixtape in a few weeks called It Is What It Is, which will be a collection of tracks that have already come out as leaks, a couple remixes, guest appearances, and some other stuff. The incomparable DJ Dub Floyd is doing a whole blend CD of Notherground. I hit him with a ton of acapellas, I cannot WAIT for that to drop. You're going to see me producing a lot of stuff real soon, so just look out for that.
Me and Wildabeast as a duo go by "Both Nice" and we're dropping an album before the end of this year. It's extremely experimental but at the same time it's very hip-hop. A lot of times when you see cats making experimental hip-hop they lose that true hip-hop essence. I'll put it this way, the album is 15 tracks, less than 40 minutes long, and I think there might be all of 3 hooks on the album. We'll be dropping a video promo and the intro to the album shortly and that will give everyone a good idea behind the idea of the album.
You can expect more music from Wildabeast and Jelani as well. I'm also going to be teaching a creative writing class this fall and I'm working on putting together a pen drive to send pens to Africa.
RubyHornet: Lastly, for some this may be their first introduction to you. What are three things you'd like someone to know about 6th Sense before listening to your music?
6th Sense: It's progressively classic. I work hard. It sounds good in the whip.
Thanks to Ruby Hornet and big shout to the whole Chi. I was there once and it was windy as f**k. I can't wait to come back.