Published: May 7, 2009 9:04 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight May 2009 Edition
Rediculus
Rediculus
Representing Chi-Town and a native of Buffalo, NY, Rediculus is on a mission to bring the heat back to the production game with Knowledge Giving Birth Productions and the Masters of Conversation mixtape series. He possesses over 15 years experience in beat making, song writing and song production, and he is taking his game to the next level. The Master of Conversation spent some time speaking with our Webzine recently about his Knowledge Giving Birth Productions and the Masters of Conversation along with everything else that is new with him. Enjoy!
Isaac: How do you sum up 2008 for Rediculus?
Rediculus: Low key and inspirational. We worked for 5 long years hitting the road and recording to get the album together. The album was actually done the end of 2007, but due to a variety of things couldn't be released right away, so I took a break. It was nice to just relax, enjoy music and rest. About half way thru the year, I started to hear hip hop that inspired me and excited me to get back at it again. I went thru the 18 tracks we had slated for the album and picked the ones that still sounded relevant and got ready to hit the bricks again with the next push, which is now with the release of the Masters of Conversation album.
Isaac: What do you feel was your biggest accomplishment for 2008?
Rediculus: Being patient while all the things fell into place so that the album could come out. It's hard to sit on something you've worked so hard on, but in the end it was definitely worth it.
Isaac: Elaborate on the concept behind Masters of Conversation.
Rediculus: Masters of Conversation is a series of albums that will feature both me as an artist as a producer/engineer and the MC as a vocalist. I lucky enough to work with a lot of talented folks, and unfortunately I can't put them all out, so I figured the next best thing is to do something that we call can shine on and from there hopefully things grow into other opportunities.
Isaac: Describe the music scene in Chicago, Illinois.
Rediculus: The music scene here is kind of funny. For a city with a history rich in blues and jazz record labels, we have no major urban label presence here at all. Artists are extremely clicky, which is a shame because Chicago has a lot of lyrical diversity and you rarely hear it together on one album. Usually, if it's a North-Side cat's album it's all North-Side guys on it, same with the Wild 100's or the West Side. That's one of the things I like about the Masters of Conversation project is that I've got MC's from all over Chicago.
Isaac: Elaborate a little about whom were your biggest influences in the music industry and why?
Rediculus: Oh man, the list is long for this one. I'm 36 and love a lot of types of music but just off the top, DJ Premier was a huge influence on me. His sample arrangement, kick patterns and complete simplicity of his beats always had me in awe. He could take a drum loop and rain fall and make your head snap. Dr. Dre is a huge idol of mine, mostly for his mixes and ear for talent. If you listen to a Dre record, you hear every sound he wants you to. They all have their own space in the mix, and I always try to look for that in my mixes. Rick Rubin of course as a hip hop producer, he's done amazing things with sounds, DJ Muggs, RZA, Tomas Dolby - amazing mixes as well, Peter Frampton and lots of stuff I've heard and never knew who did it. Music has always been a part of my life ever since I can remember and I'm sure somewhere at 1 or 2 years old I heard something that still to this day inspires me.
Isaac: Let's talk about what you feel you will bring to the music industry?
Rediculus: Adult Hip-Hop with creativity and a fresh ear. You've got people who are 30+ and listen to Hip-Hop and want to hear more then how much dope an artist supposedly traps. They want to hear music with some intelligence, whether it be a message or just witty punchlines. That's what I bring. Hip-Hop that is fun and smart.
Isaac: If you had an opportunity to work with one artist or group, who would it be and why?
Rediculus: Well I kind of just lived one of those moments. I say kind of because I didn't work directly with him but I had an opportunity to do a remix for a Sadat X track featuring KRS1 called Blow up da Spot, both MC's that I've been a fan of for decades, so to craft a beat for their lyrics was super cool.
I'd definitely have to say Rakim. I think that he's still one of the best to ever have touched the mic; he's just been given bad beats and situations the last 15 years.
Isaac: How would you describe your music to others?
Rediculus: Boom Bap. Hip-Hop with heart. Hip-Hop with a soul that has something to say. Something that you want and probably don't even know you wanted it.
Isaac: What is your definition for Hip-Hop/Rap Music?
Rediculus: That's a tuff one because Hip-Hop is changing so fast now a days. I used to say that Hip-Hop was the culture and Rap was the music that spoke for it, but now you got kids making Rap music that do not know anything of the history of the culture so it doesn't speak for the culture all the time.
Hip-Hop is still the culture but Rap has definitely grown past the culture that started it. Hip- Hop is baggy pants, it's graff on the wall, it's shell toe Adidas, it's that kid on the corner rapping for the "oos and ahhs" of his friends, it's Black Presidents, it's Philly blunts, it's beat boxing, it's all of that and it's so much more. It's the way we live life and express ourselves, so it's very hard to put in a box.
Isaac: What type of feedback have you received from your Album titled "First Words Spoken"?
Rediculus: So far all good thankfully. People like you have been really supportive of the music and what we're trying to bring back to hip hop.
Isaac: What can fans expect from Rediculus in 2009?
Rediculus: Lots of good music. I've got 3 tracks on Capitol R's debut album, watch out for him really talented guy out of the UK, just blazed a remix for Sputnik Brown's single Brownout, hit a remix for the Sadat X track Blow up da Spot, working on a few more remixes and writing music for the 2nd Masters of Conversation album due out this fall. I'm also always looking for more production opportunities or folks that need a mix engineer so I definitely encourage folks to reach out to me.
Isaac: Time for some shout outs to your family, friends, and fans?
Rediculus: Definitely want to say thanks to everyone that has shown love and support so far. We've come a long way but we've still got a ways to go so hang on and enjoy the ride! The list is long and if I forget someone I know I'll get a call so I'll just leave it at that…lol
Isaac: Final words from Rediculus?
Rediculus: Enjoy the music and live life to the fullest! You only get one chance.
