What is the Hip-Hop scene like in Toronto? |
The hip hop scene in Toronto and Canada in general is very underdeveloped. There
isn't a lot of resources for urban artists so it's a challenge to get your foot in the door. We need more urban radio stations and venues we can perform at. A few years ago it was even worse. Nobody believed a hip hop artist from Toronto could even make it big time. There is a lot of talent coming from Canada. We especially like the producers out here we just feel Canadian emcees need more unity and should be rapping more in our own slang and be proud our culture instead of just trying to get famous by any means necessary. I think when we come into our own then we can really consider it a scene. Right now we need some more Toronto emcees to get some recognition worldwide. |
Growing up, who were your musical influences? |
We've got a huge list because before we were artists we were music fans and not just hip hop but we'll start there. We grew up on all styles of hip hop from the most complex lyrical styles to simple straight to the point story telling. To name a few artists We’ve been fans of from childhood I would say Bone Thugs N Harmony, Nas, Biggie, Pac, Outkast, Xzibit, Snoop, Three 6 among others. Aside from hip hop, me being Guyanese and 4-Twoney being Dominicano we grew up listening to Caribbean and Spanish music like Reggae, Dancehall, Soca, Chutney, Reggaeton, Merengue, Bachata you know. Artists like Bob Marley, Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Bounty Killah, Sanchez, Luis Vargas, Juan Luis Guerra, you know that good old school island flavour as well as newer ones like Vybz Kartel, Mavado, Zion y Lennox, Don Omar. We just love good music it’s like therapy for life. |
Mood music is your self described music style. Can you elaborate more on that? |
It just means we're not going to bore the fans with the same songs over and over.
Every track is a different feel. When we make an album we want to take the people on a ride, ups n downs, twists and turns. Some artists only talk about struggle while others only talk about happiness and partying. We want you to know the whole story, the hard times, the good times, the women, the weed, the money, the haters all that. |
Now you are an artist and producer. What type of equipment do you use when you produce? |
For the most part I work with Reason but I do like to mess around with the MPC every once in a while. It's kind of a different feel then being on the computer, I can sometimes get more into a zone on the MPC. I've also used FL Studio in the past and it just really comes down to how creative you are. Nobody can give you the formula when it comes to this stuff I swear it's all trial and error. Every producer's needs are different. |
Where do you record? |
We do a lot of recording at my personal studio in Toronto. We've learned it's important to have a home base therefore you can control how and when your music gets released and also who’s hearing it. It's also more comfortable because I have my own personal setup and I know where everything is, however we don't record there exclusively. We also use studios of other producers and artists we work with. Basically as long as we got good piff and good energy in the room, throw on the beat and we'll write something hot. |
How did the BrownFace-Twoney project come about? |
Basically we're like brothers. We been friends since elementary school and we actually had a rap group with 4-Twoneys brother when we were in junior high. 4-Twoney was following the sports path in high school and I just started making beats so I jumped into the T-dot scene as a solo artist. We started making music again together on my projects and the vibe was just like back in the day. We thought what would be better than touring the world rocking shows every night with your brother. When we started working on the project it was amazing we came with a new sound, different than my solo work. We never expected to have a new style we just thought we were going to make a hot hip hop album. |
Do you have any shows coming up? |
Yes, we have a few Canadian cities, Montreal, Vancover and Ottawa in April,2011, nothing in the USA, As yet we are working on finding the right deal. |
Do you sell both CD's and downloads of your music? If both which format do you find sells better? |
Yeah we do sell both. We definitely sell more downloads because it's the easiest, simplest way to sell internationally plus were in a industry of singles nowadays. I still love selling CDs when we're doing shows or appearing at events because I started listening to music in the era of albums and having all the cover art and such. I want the people to have the full package. |
Since becoming an artist/producer, what lessons have you learned being in the music industry? |
We just learned that it's all about the paper. It doesn't matter how good you are,
there's a lot of talent out there, it's about who can bring in the money. Nowadays they want to see that you're already making money. Most people don't want to take the risk they just want a money bag to stick their hands in. You gotta be ride or die for your own movement and take the risk yourself. One more thing, if you get a deal make sure it's a good one don't sign your material and life away for nothing just because you want to be famous overnight. |
Copyright 2011 Hardcorejamz/mix.com |
Two heavyweights from Canada come together for a superb CD. Check it out! |
My setup is pretty simple. I like to focus on the beats. I'm not as much of a gearhead
as most producers I've met. |