Sunday, August 3, 2008

From the east side


Ill Prophet is a man of few words. He says he would rather let his music do the talking. It's hard to argue when the music is so dope. Originally from Washington DC, now living in Maryland, Illogically Prophetic's style is a throwback of the way hip hop USED to sound. Ill was cool enough to kick it with the Ecks, so for those who don't know here's an introduction.

Q: What's good, big bro?
A: What up bruh? Thanks for hitting me up man. IllaProph in da houuuusssee!!!


Q: All of the tracks that I have heard from you, you sound like a seasoned veteran. How long have you been doing this music?
A: Man, music has been a love of mine since I can remember. I started writing poetry back in 6th grade. I'd just write about everything and anything that inspired me. I was big into jazz music too though. That's why I prefer musical beats over loopy sounds and I love a big band sound or something really heavy and standing out other than just the 808's.

Q: Who were some of your earliest influences?
A: Well I think it goes back man…way, way, back. The first tape (back in the day ya know we did cassette tapes after 8-tracks) I ever bought was Warren G – Regulate…G Funk Era. It was serious my first parental advisory I was maybe 6. Haha! Regulate was such a vicious track with Nate Dogg. Funny how a west dude was the first album I bout. But my biggest influence comes straight from the tracks of Mos Def, Common, and Black Thought of the Roots. Mos is my favorite artist…PERIOD, followed by Common and Black Thought. I mean The Roots grabbed my attention later when I was about 11. The first song I heard from The Roots was "Next Movement". I saw the video on tv but missed the name of the group and song so I was asking all my peoples and everything who they were and no body could tell me. I probably didn't complete my quest until about a year later when I looked them up on the computer by lyrics. HA. All I could remember was, "IT'S THE HOT-HOT MUSIC THE HOT MUSIC, THE HOT-HOT MUSIC, THE HOT MUSIC". Man that record was, and still is, so, so dope. I have every Roots album including Organix and The Japan Nagoya Blue Notes. Best believe I have every Mos album too including True Magic. Definitely underrated. Get that isht. Listen to :There Is A Way". Dope. People knocking that album and it's genius and heart felt but bammas knocked Common for Electric Circus too.

Q: In this day and age where everybody sounds and looks like everybody else, you have a unique swagger about yourself. Do feel that's what's missing with a lot of other hip hop artists these days?
A: Man, people will ALWAYS mimic what they think is hot. Cats see Kanye and Lil Wayne with the Shemagh scarves and have to get on it. They are tight styles, I will say that. The thing is you have a small crew creating styles and a multitude copying what they see. Honestly, and I may get some scruff at this, but, I don't mind the lack of originality and swagger. You will always have the "elite" that start their own style, have their own swagger, and lead the way in everything urban and hip-hop. THEN, you have all the followers, mimics, and copycats. These are the people that boost that swag. It doesn't matter though because the only people that will remain relevant and will always have an original style and swagger are the ELITE that started it.

Q: Your track "Love thirst" you feature Jean Grae (one of my favorite female MC's). How did you make that happen?

A:Oh man. That's my jam. I think Jean Grae IS my favorite female MC. Sucks that she is retired or retiring. It's funny too me. I hit her up on myspace with a comment about what would she say if I sent her a song. I never thought she'd actually reply. Ha. Two minutes later, I had a comment on my page saying to just send it to her. I had the track already and her stuff so I just went on, spit my verses, got all the engineering straight and then she hit me with her email address and that's all she wrote. I'm glad I have something with her before she retired. I wish we could've officially gotten some studio time together. Hopefully we'll still get a moment whenever I officially drop my album.



Q: Are there any other MC's you would like to collab with in the future?
A: Of course. Wale already beat me to the punch on the DMV collab with The Roots. I still want my collabo time. I most definitely want to do work with Mos Def and Common. Outside of my inspirations I want to work with Kanye West, Little Brother, Maxwell(yes, good ole "Sumthin, Sumthin" Maxwell), Jill Scott, Outkast(Andre' and Big Boi), Erykah Badu, Wale, Tabi Bonney, UCB, BYB, and Mambo Sauce(D.C. GoGo Bands), Jay Electronica, and a few others. I am an open door and look for any inspiration and/or energy rather good or bad. I want to step outside the box though so even with those mentioned above, I still want to collab with folk such as, David Banner, Pastor Troy, Ludacris, T.I., even young dude, Soulja Boy.

Q: Which do you prefer most, the mic or producing?
A: Definitely the mic…at least for now. I used to do some producing a while back. Frankly, I didn't like anything I was coming up with at the time. I'm learning some new tricks though and I know that my production ideas are definitely on point. So we shall see what comes in the future.


Q: For the past couple of years, hip hop has gotten a lot of shit from the media as well as sideline activists, armchair revolutionaries and just plain old haters. What is your opinion of all of the negative press?

A:Keep it coming. Why not? Hip hop…in fact scrap that, BLACK MUSIC, has always been driving by negativity. Even them slave hymns leading them to freedom where fueled by negativity. So why stop them? It gives us even more to write about, rap about, sing about, talk about. It's like haters that keep on talking about somebody. Every time they talk to somebody about that person, it's another cat with ya name in there head. I got my hater seekers out for em. Keep talking bout me nigga. As long as you talking, my name will forever live in the streets. Dig?



Q:I'm from Detroit, and here people don't support their own. There are artists who have made a name for themselves across the country and around the world, but yet it's hard to get respect from the people in their own backyard. Did you have that problem where you are from?

A: That comes with the territory. The hip hop game just is not the same as it used

to be. Not at all. It's not like singing, not everybody can sing. Seriously, either you can sing or you can't. Then after being able to sing, you gotta have a persona and all that stuff. But it still falls back to can you, or can you not, sing. Hip hop is different. Man, everybody and their mama's mama's grandfather's cousin's uncle's nephew Tootie, think they can rap. Everybody. And then u have to have a persona and image and all that doohickey. When u have so many people trying to get on, cats are quick to hate when somebody is coming up ahead of them. Man you should see what half the internet is saying about Tabi Bonney and Wale. Them cats are really coming up and gaining the respect of the hip hop industry. Those dudes are opening doors for the rest of us in the DMV(D.C./Maryland/Virginia) and they are representing us well. That's not jock riding either. If you're wack I'll call you out on that too. These dudes are actually representing well though. The problem is there are so so many gangsters and dudes spittin about street life when half ain't living that way and the other half just can't get away from that long enough to actually be successful. We need to be supporting each other not knocking each other down. How do you think New York and Cali had dominated for so long? Jay didn't just all of a sudden become one of the biggest names in hip hop. He was tied up with Diddy and Big and the whole Bad Boy crew. Same with the west. Dre and NWA out of Compton and then Snoop and the Long Beach cats. Support has made them dudes the legends they are, not same city or neighboring city civil wars or rivalries. The D.C. artist and MD artist need to support theirs and stop knocking the other cat that may be able to bring you up to the next level. Besides, it's not what you know, it's who you know.



Q: What does the future hold for Ill Prophet?
A: Only time will really tell. I have a couple mixtapes that I'm working hard on cause I need my music heavy in the streets and having a couple internet spots such as myspace, reverbnation, facebook, and all that just isn't cutting it. I'm working to set up a HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) tour and I'm hitting any spot that isn't just open mic that will give me 15 or more minutes on a stage. It's on and this year has been great for me. Best believe all the puzzle pieces are coming together and you will see the big picture blown up in 2009.

Q: Before you dip out, are there any shout-outs you want to give?
A: Mos definitely. Big Phat DC holla at my fam J. City, Rebel Conscious, Haywood, Wale, Tabi, J'Wyn, D.Mac, Orange Tyga, Dre, J Nicholas, Corie, RRR, Savant, Kydnice, Adidas, M.Dawg, The Catalyst, Sanja, Moonrunners, my mentor Tsion The Wordsmith, and special love to JG. Most of all my supporters and the haters. If I didn't add you, it's not that I forgot you but I'm not tryna take over this brother jawn either. Dig? lol


Good lookin out on the interview, and I wish you much success. You will have my continued support.

Thank you bruh. I most definitely appreciate it and I look forward to talking with you again for an update soon.

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Photos © 2008 Ill Prophet