Today we welcome the legendary Musab to Open Mic Presents… Founder of one of my favorite hip-hop indies Rhymesayers, Musab makes his move to put out another classic solo LP, H.G.H. Check it out as we chat about everything from the music industry, his past work, current work and what he is listening to right now. Be sure to peep the interview, cop his latest single “Get Life”, and be prepared to go out and support the new LP, brought to you by Hiero Records…
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Reyn: Hey Sab, pleasure having you. How are things?
Sab: Hey Reyn, thanks for having me. Things are going great for me on a personal level, otherwise just trying to keep the boat afloat like everyone else these days.
Sab: Recording H.G.H was very fun, I worked with a great group of guys and I really expanded my box on this album. I wanted to make some songs that are serious in content but come off bubbly and fun and I got there on this album. Overall I wanted the album to sound lighter this time around, something people could play straight thru and have a good time too. I can’t say it’s my best release as a whole but I know some of the songs are my best work to date. As an album will it have the impact Comparison had on Hip Hop? Probably not but that was timing, and I know it will be one of the best albums of the year…. Period.
Sab: I chose Heaven, Girls, Hell to symbolize human existence and the problems men and women go thru together. The simple story goes God made Adam, then Eve, then they ate the forbidden fruit and now we have to deal with hell, but first we must go thru trials and tribulations together on earth that will basically sum up where we land in the end. Heaven or Hell? So the album is dealing with some of the earthly problems and joys we encounter together as man and woman.
Sab: Some themes touch on what I said in the previous question but there is a message that underlines the whole album and that is “ all people have many parts to there make up and character that makes each individual a whole”. When we look at someone we are only seeing a small fraction of who that person truly is. That is why final judgment can only be left to God on matters of the heart, because a person can have a beautiful face but an ugly heart. Or the villain to you might be the hero to others, it’s complex. And that is the message of this album.
Sab: Thanks. Get Life had to be the first single and I knew it right away because that song interprets what I just explained. The first line says “Don’t believe in Sab, just believe in God”, that’s powerful to me. I dreamt that line and woke up and wrote the song on the spot. Two dear people to me had been debating about who believes in me more and I didn’t like that so it inspired the line and thus the whole song. Also that was a side of me fans haven’t seen for a while so I owed it to them and myself to let everyone know how I truly see the world and who are my influences. The names of the men in the hook I mention are my influences and who I strive to be like. Plus the song just makes me feel great.
Sab: Production credits go out to Ink Well, Ultra Chorus, Anthony Apollo and it’s looking like Nima Fadavi now as well. Ink Well produced “Get Life” and like four or five more, he’s my mentor on the boards. He’s taught me so much he’s incredible in the studio and he’s got a sound you can’t classify. His music sounds so pure and I don’t mean like pure hip hop, I mean like pure human being. He’s brilliant. Ultra Chorus are a couple of genius’s at work, they don’t normally produce hip hop and that’s why I went to them, I wanted a sound no one had and they are masters at making a song sound clear and untainted. They produced “Sorry” and some other ones. I can’t let that cat out the bag yet. I went to Anthony Apollo for that hood swing, he’s like a hip hop Devante’ Swing, super talented and one of the most naturally gifted people I know. And Nima Fadavi just added a master piece to my collection I’m excited to build a catalog with that homie.
Sab: Yea I said that. Not to toot my own horn but I can rap really good, always been that way. And sometimes it has effected my work ethics in the past, kinda like Allen Iverson saying, “practice”? Slicks Box was rushed because I didn’t release an album since 2002 (Respect the Life) and I was hungry to get back on deck. The album is dope and what I wanted it to be which is a Hip Hop street album, hardcore and un-sugar coated telling the tales of my Iceberg Slim like upbringing. My back was against the wall during the making of that album and I’m proud of what I accomplished with it. Also it was me reintroducing myself to the art I love, making music.
Sab: I don’t even consider that a name change because that’s what everyone calls me anyway so I thought it would be easier to just use it artistically now. I think it also separates me from anyone else. It’s also easy to remember and say which makes me more marketable.
Reyn: Why did you choose to release the album on Hiero instead of your own label Rhymesayers?
Sab: Slicks Box came out on Hiero because that’s the way the ball bounced. I was living on the west coast by then and I thought it would be fun to try something different with some other homies of mine. It was a great experience, Hiero are legends and I’m very lucky to have had the opportunity to be in their presence artistically. To see the vast influence they have on Hip Hop up close and personal is priceless. That’s something I couldn’t pass up.
Reyn: How involved are you with Rhymesayers these days?
Sab: That fluctuates, those ties are to thick to brake and that journey isn’t over.
Reyn: Working on both the music and business side of things, how has that helped you become a both a better musician and businessman?
Sab: Taking on the business side has made me aware of much more all around. It’s made me better at getting my music to the people as a complete package and it’s pushed me to be more sonically involved. Also I’ve realized I’m much more of an artist than a rapper. I didn’t see that before as much and it’s really helped me expand my box. Now I’m mixing songs sitting in on mastering sessions, really trying to figure out how to make the music sound the best it can.
Reyn: Name some other artists that we should be on the watch for in 2009.
Sab: Tanya Morgan, Blue Scholars, Blu should have a good year and me.
Reyn: Is there anything else on Sab’s plate post-H.G.H.?
Sab: I do so much outside of rap, I’m always into something. I’ve actually taken steps back trying to really focus on music. I’ve always made so much music my main focus right now is getting heard. I’ve been a muse to a lot of rappers styles over the years and right now I want my own lane. So in 2009 expect a lot of dope music from Sab.
Thanks man! Definitely start checking for Sab, this new LP is pretty damn snazzy…
I’ll have to start checking for Musab. He was the one name I was familiar with on RhymeSayers, but never looked out for.
Not any more.
Good interview.