Back in 2002 J Dilla had a show at Roxy Blu in Toronto where he did a three hour DJ set. I was at this show and never knew there was any footage until now. The interview is even more rare when you consider that Jay Dee has passed and that club no longer exists. Wajeed and Frank N’ Dank also appear this video. As we celebrate his life and music this week enjoy one of the few interviews with the legendary Jay Dee.

R.I.P. J Dilla (1974-2006)

Props to Henri

LA Weekly’s Jeff Weiss sits down with L.A.’s “Ambassador of Boogie Funk,” Dam-Funk. The Stones Throw signed selector recently released his five-LP (two-CD) debut, Toeachhizown, jam packed with two hours of the hardest hitting space boogie funk this side of the universe.

In this interview Dam-Funk talks about what inspires him as an artist, his favorite records, and why he wanted to add a different flavor to his live performances. The video was shot, edited, and produced by Jessica Rew and features clips from an electrifying performance by Dam-Funk at the Cinespace in Hollywood.

Fly Gypsy came out of nowhere, to me at least. Consisting of Russian-born producer, Alexei Jendayi, and Jamaican-born emcee, Kowboy Kom, this is a duo to be taken seriously. Coming off their powerful release, Change For A Dollar EP, I caught the two to chop it up a bit about the album. In this installment of Pick Six, Fly Gypsy breaks down “2 Step”, “You”, “Give It To Me”, “Go”, “Look For You”, and “Strengthen Me”. Feel free to share some thoughts, and be absolutely sure you support this epic hip-hop project!

Support! Fly Gypsy – Change for a Dollar

The mighty Souls of Mischief crew recently dropped their LP, Montezuma’s Revenge, featuring production from one of my all-time favorite producers, Prince Paul. I’ll be honest, I was more than skeptical of this album. But to my surprise, Souls absolutely killed it! Nothing against Souls, but it seems like a lot of old timers that make comeback albums always seem to fall short. With that said, I got a chance to kick it with A-Plus, Opio and Tajai for a few, to get some background information on a few cuts from the LP. I chose to break down, “Proper Aim”, “Dead Man Walkin’”, “Home Game”, “Lalala”, and “Tour Stories”. I know it’s Pick Six and there are only five songs, forgive me for that. We had some difficulties with the phone service and one of my favorite joints, “Poets”, got cut off. Take a listen and let us know what you think…

Support! Souls of Mischief – Montezuma’s Revenge

Hit the skip to check out the album art and track listing…

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This past week I sat down with one of NC’s finest, Kam Moye, to break down a few tracks off his latest album. Emerging as one of hip-hop’s underground heavyweights, the emcee formerly known as Supastition comes correct with Splitting Image. Check it out as Kam sheds some new light on “Re:Born,” “Hello Karma,” “Splitting Image,” “Give Out, Give In,” “Life Line,” and “Nobody’s Fool,” including audio clips from all these tracks!

Buy Now! Kam Moye – Splitting Image

Hit the skip to check out the full album artwork and tracklisting…

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Elemental Zazen is a name sure to hit the radar of a wide range of underground hip-hop fans in the near future. The Seattle-based rapper built a solid reputation as a talented wordsmith with a flair for intelligent, quick-fire rhymes, and deeply personal and political messages. But fans that have been following him, also adore him for his boundless energy at his live shows.

Furthermore, Zazen makes music for the right reasons. He has surrounded himself with a circle of extraordinary talents such as Gnotes, Scroll, Canyon Cody, and the Granada Doaba crew (who, for the record, all put on an amazing live show). After his live performance last night, Zazen noted that one thing hip-hop could use more of is humility.  He offered us his time for an interview in which he discusses his influences, his personal hardships and triumphs, and some huge future plans.

Sir Alistair: What’s up? How’s life been treating you lately?
Elemental Zazen: Things are going well.  Been in Chicago the past few weeks… Looking forward to returning to Seattle after a short stay back in Boston.  Basically I go a little crazy if I am on vacation for too long.

Alistair: You spent a good amount of time growing up overseas, experiencing both the positives and negatives of foreign cultures. To what extent does that experience play a role in your music, and in what ways?
Zazen: People always ask me what it was like growing up outside of the US, and to be honest it’s a tough question to answer because everyone I grew up with was in the exact same situation as a foreigner, albeit few of them were from the United States. When you move in and out of cultures you lose any sense of attachment to a physical place. There was no regional hip-hop to listen to when I was a kid. I learned about what was new from magazines and the occasional hip-hop video on either Channel V or the Philippines’ version of MTV. My influences can’t be attributed to any one region. Most hip-hop music contains constant references to where the artist is from – anywhere from Queens, LA, Houston, Boston, etc. I can’t really do that, because I have learned to be a resident of the world. Maybe I should try shouting out planet earth on some tracks – see how that goes over.

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Brooklyn native and AOK Collective member Fresh Daily is a relatively new name on the scene, but he’s already making major waves. His debut album, The Gorgeous Killer In Crimes Of Passion, is now available and has been receiving terrific reviews across the board, including 4 Potholes. He brings a very fresh (no pun intended) approach to music, using his lyrics to express personal narratives. Fresh Daily took the time to talk it up with Potholes about his new album, his background and his love for the art. Check it out:

Alistair: How are things going? What have you been up to lately?
FD: Been working mainly, trying to figure out how to maintain people’s good vibes and interest. It’s been a little bonkers for me.

Alistair: Your album, The Gorgeous Killer In Crimes Of Passion, has been getting very positive reception from fans and critics alike. As an artist who has put in a lot of hard work, how does it make you feel to hear praise for your music?
FD: Anyone who knows me can tell you I’m the black Larry David. I feel like when HBO was planning Larry David’s comedy special. Do you remember that episode of “Curb…”? Well honestly, it’s overwhelming. I kind of didn’t expect people to really be in love with my album as much as I was in love with my album. It’s a blessing. I put my all into my art so it’s nice to see a good return.

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Moka Only is a name that should be rather familiar to people within underground rap circles. Bursting onto the scene in the 90s, Moka has grown drastically as an artist. Known as a critically acclaimed rapper and producer, Moka has worked as a member of the Swollen Members, and has collaborated with countless heads, especially west coast artists. His latest album, The Lowdown Suite 2: The Box, has been getting impressive reviews across the board including 4.5 Potholes. Moka took his time to talk with us, dropping some inside knowledge on his music-making philosophies, and giving us a sneak peak at some BIG upcoming plans. Check it out.

Alistair: What’s up? How are things?
Moka: Things are thingish – in Mokanese terms that would translate to “couldn’t be better,” thank you.

Alistair: With so many albums in your catalogue, where do you look in order to find inspiration for coming up with fresh material?
Moka: I’m really just a ‘musicaholic’, completely enamored and submersed in all things musical, so as a base I find that inspiration enough, and then on top of that my daily activities, friends and touring help round out the urge to notate situations in music format.

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For those who don’t know, Brandon Allday and Medium Zach are Big Quarters and have put out one of the finest releases this year with their sophomore effort, “From The Home of Brown Babies & White Mothers.”  Speaking of the effort, Zach mentioned, “This upcoming August 5th will mark the 12th month since my brother and I have been releasing 5 songs a month. For $5/month, we send out 5 new/unreleased songs – including new Big Quarters songs, instrumentals, and tracks we’ve produced for other artists – through BQDirect.  This is how “From the Home of Brown Babies & White Mothers” came to be.”  And what came to be is a sonically enriched and very personal reflection on the brothers Baagason who make music that speaks to their daily experiences.  Here at Potholes, I was able to talk with Brandon Allday and Medium Zach and in this entry, they go over track by track through the album and its creation.

1.  Newborn – produced by Medium Zach / BQDirect:September
Zach: I made this beat on Benzilla’s ASR-10 during a gathering at his house, put it on a disk, and forgot about it for a while.  Last summer, I gave the beat to Mike Mictlan & Sims of Doomtree and they asked me if I wanted to do a verse with them on it.  I wrote one up real quick and I suggested that we have Brandon on it too.  Doomtree went on tour so we didn’t get around to recording it with them – Brandon put the scratches on. I’m still happy with how this one turned out.

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This may come off a tad on the personal side, but I was introduced to Toki Wright back in my radio days when he was part of a group called The C.O.R.E.  His raps were socially conscious and very enjoyable to the ear.  His raps tiptoe between  head-nodding thoughtfully spoken joints, and the brash in your face delivery whenever he got more energetic.  Finally on the heels of releasing A Different Mirror via Rhymesayers, I had the chance to speak with Toki Wright and do a track by track analysis on the album he’s put out.  Read on folks!

1. FOUNDATION
Produced by Benzilla

Toki: This was one of the last pieces that we made for the album. I think I wrote it on the back of an electric bill or something. I wanted to sum up the reason why I wrote the album the way I did. There are so many mixed emotions that we have as humans where we often seem embattled with our own conscience. “Love/hate, pain/relief, life/death, contrasts of color, hunger and gluttony.” The album is organized in a way that from song to song makes these emotions look at each other in the mirror. I wanted to make a real honest album even if that meant I was the main character.

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