Potholes In My Blog is proud to present Cymarshall Law to Open Mic Presents… Cy, an MC hailing from New Jersey has been making quite a ruckus in the Hip-Hop community. His most recent release with producer Mr. Joeker, Hip Hop In The Soul, has been receiving rave reviews. Co-signed by none other than the Blastmaster himself, KRS-One, and a member of the highly regarded Rawkus 50, Cymarshall Law is a dope artist to watch out for in 2009.
Myspace
Rawkus Profile

Hit the skip for the full interview…

Reyn: What’s up Cy? Thanks for answering some questions with us. Who is Cymarshall Law?
Cy:  Cymarshall Law? A Sun, A Father, A Brother, Lover, Fighter, Freedom Writer and Not A Rapper, I’m an M.C.  A New Jersey representer, Mr. Hip Hop in the Soul formerly Flesh, I am Hip Hop, and it’s nice to make your acquaintance.

Reyn: Your newest joint with Mr. Joeker, Hip Hop In The Soul, has been out for a little bit now. Are you happy with the fans’ reception of the album so far?
Cy: Yes mos def this looks to be the album that will bring me around the world, the people are really loving it and I’m getting a lot of exciting new opportunities because of it.  More people, artists I grew up listening to want to work with me because they heard the album. I’m happy about that to say the least. Some heads are still not behind me fully and I think it’s a shame they wait to jump on the bandwagon and won’t just listen for what’s dope, because Hip Hop started out with you had to be different and original to make a mark, you had to be fresh. Now, it’s about who you know, so because I’m fairly new I’m still going through some people not accepting because they are unfamiliar with the work and people usually take longer to accept what they don’t know about it. It’s cool, it’s expected, but overall the response has been brilliant.

Reyn: After listening to Hip Hop In The Soul, your storytelling ability really stood out to me. Storytelling has become somewhat of a lost art in Hip-Hop, overshadowed by the countless punch line rappers. Where do you find influence for some of the stories you tell on the album?
Cy: Real Life People, every story I write is taken from something real whether in my life or someone else’s, it’s always something that stuck with me to the point I had to write about it. On most stories I add on things and change some things and peoples names like they do in the movies but the cores are usually mostly true. Other times when I’m making something up you know because I’ll over exaggerate or have mutant powers or something like that maybe be a super spy (laughs). My imagination is crazy.

Reyn: The first single, “Control,” with KRS-One had several heads turning. Talk about working with The Blastmaster and how his co-sign helped you progress as an emcee.
Cy: It opened a lot of people’s eyes who weren’t checking for me before whether they just had never heard of me or if they had heard something and thought it was just alright then the KRS co-sign made them take a deeper look and listen and when they did they found I had a lot more hot tracks than they realized. I gained a ton of new fans, it made the haters multiply like roaches, which is always the first sign of success.  It gave me a new level of respect in a lot of people’s eyes.

Reyn: One of my favorite tracks is “Live While You Can.” It has some great points to think about and reflect on. Talk a little about that track and what inspired you to make a track like that.
Cy: I wrote it the day after a show I did in NY at Club Elements. I was on stage at one point with about 20 or so real Hip Hop Legends from KRS to DJ Premier, I went home crazy inspired and was on a mission to write something real meaningful and from my heart, something maybe one day someone would hear years down the line and think wow this is still a great not Hip Hop Song but Song.  There’s a lot of B.S. out there on the radio and what not. I was determined to write a song with facts that would slap someone in the face if they were really listening, sometimes people need a slap to get back to reality. It’s one of my favorites, too, one of those songs.

Reyn: Several artists have chosen to work with just one producer for an entire album, usually yielding a very focused album. Talk about the decision to work with Mr. Joeker and the focus you guys had in the studio.
Cy: It was an easy decision. Joeker’s the best producer a lot of people never heard of, next up to bat and I’m right there with him. It made a lot of sense, we felt like we were talented and if joined forces usually two heads are better than one when focused on a common goal. We had a lot to distract us but I give us credit we stayed focused over a about a year period and completed our task. It was well worth it.

Reyn: Other than Mr. Joeker, who would you like to work with in the future?
Cy: Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Kanye West, Timbaland, Hi-Tek, Nottz

Reyn: Let’s take it back to the beginning, when did you start making music?
Cy: I started really writing rhymes seriously when I was 13 in middle school. We had a crew back then called Generation Next; well, we never officially agreed but that was the favorite (laughs). We used to get two tape decks to play the beat on one and record our raps on the other, then my man got Cool Edit and we really thought we was the shit (laughs).

Reyn: When did you decide to take music to the next level and pursue it full-time?
Cy: In the 7th grade I just didn’t have a driver’s license to get to shows then so I developed my skill locally, until I got old enough to get out into world and show what I had.

Reyn: Talk about working with your brother and how he has influenced and helped you become the rapper that you are today.
Cy: Skit Slam I feel is another form of me. Me and my two siblings are three different mixtures of the same thing, our parents, so we are a lot alike. Sometimes what I’m missing he has and vice versa. We finish a lot of each others’ thoughts. I would say he found his voice in Hip Hop before I did and he showed me how to find mine, which sounds easy but is not always. The jewel was to be myself, talk about things that happen in my life, then add style and flavor, skill and rhyme patterns. He taught me that if I said certain things how they would relate to people. Him and my sister taught me how cool our family really was then as I was able to see it I began to write it and act it.

Reyn: What was your first big break?
Cy: When my brother put me in his group Everliven Sound in 2000. He was already doing shows so he brought me on and gave me my first real experience.

Reyn :Your music has allowed you to travel all around the world. How has the overseas influenced your sound?
Cy: It opened me up. Now I’ve become a universal emcee. Before, unknowingly, I was writing for an American crowd, most punch lines you’d have to live in America to understand. I remember performing in UK in like 2001 thinking ‘I can tell they feeling my energy but not getting all my punch lines.’  So I realized from performing over seas to write universally.

Reyn: Discuss being recruited by Rawkus Records to be a part of the Rawkus 50.
Cy: One day I opened my myspace email and Jim, who was working with Rawkus helping pick the Rawkus 50 for the contest they were running (which Rawkus described as the next big 50 Hip Hop Acts), had wrote to me and said there was a spot in on Rawkus for me if I wanted it. It felt great that that there was a contest to be one of them going on. And they felt I was good enough that I didn’t  have to enter and they just choose me. I appreciate the exposure it got me. But now I’m focusing on my own company Freedom Entertainment.

Reyn: Name some other artists that we should be looking out for right now on the Hip-Hop scene.
Cy: Skit Slam & The Beatnikz new album A Blessing In Disguise features Sticky Fingaz and myself, it’s crazy. Also, my dude Silent Knight about to drop a new Mix CD.  Mary Lou out of Sweden coming with an album on Freedom Ent. MAGr outta Philly got some shit, too.

Reyn: 2009 is here, what can we expect from Cymarshall Law in the future?
Cy: To be on that new Skit Slam album, to release a Freedom Ent. Mix that I’m hosting featuring tracks from me, Everliven Sound, Pacewon, Supastition, El Da Sensai over tracks by the Beatnikz and our female singer from Sweden Mary Lou’s album is coming out in ‘09; also, the Cyology 4 Mix Cd. And I’m really going to be making my rounds. You all will be seeing me more than ever in 2009, I’m a man of my word.

Reyn: Thanks again Cy, any closing word for the people?
Cy: Come find me and my music. I got something for everyone (myspace). Thanks for supporting me and my music on iTunes and in stores now. Thank you very much. I appreciate all those riding with me and the Freedom Ent. movement. For real, you will not be forgotten.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 10:00 am and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.