July | 2007 | Amalgam Digital Blog

Canada’s Best Kept Secret: Eternia Artist: Eternia Interviewer: Dru Garrity

Canada’s Best Kept Secret: Eternia

Interviewed by Dru Garrity 07-24-07

AmalgamDigital.com: How did you get into hip hop?

Eternia: Man, where do I begin? I’m from Canada, in the late 80s my brother started bringing popular hiphop home… (RUN DMC, 2 Live Crew, LL, NWA, Public Enemy… the super popular shit of the era). I was a participant ever since. At 15 I moved out of my mothers’ house, and that’s when things really started poppin’ off for me musically, because that’s really all I had. At around 20 I started doing the singles, music videos, releases, shows a lot more heavily. 6 music videos, 3 albums, and 3 continents of touring later.. here I am.

AmalgamDigital.com: Who are your main influences?

Eternia: I hate this question, haha. So many. But ummm here goes: ATCQ, Organized Konfusion, Jeru, Nas, Digable, Fugees, Salt n Pepa, Latifah, Buckshot, The Roots, Common, Blackstar, Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway, … f*ckin’ Phil Collins. Ya man. I love me some Phil. I love all of it really. For every one name I mentioned, there are 3 I’m forgetting. Obviously it was more east coast based, by virtue of where I grew up. But, hands down my greatest influences were my peers I rocked with: Nextra and Demigodz in the 90s, Collizhun (Tough Dumplin) after 2000, and a whole gang’a Canadian emcees I rocked with and admire.

AmalgamDigital.com: Do you feel being a female in hip-hop helps or hurt’s you?

Eternia: 100% hurts. Don’t get me wrong, I get more press. But ya, that’s about the only plus side. It’s easier to stand out on stage too. But when the biz is an old boy’s club (still is) it’s an uphill battle convincing anybody (from producers, to emcees, to dj’s, to record label execs, etc) to take you seriously. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve paid some dues and some cats just look at me as a dope emcee… period. But some people’s mindsets you can’t change. I happen to know – factually – that in A&R meetings or record pools, my records have been shot down solely based on “I just don’t feel female rappers”. Quote UnQuote. Not my words. Theirs. And for every one time someone tells me that that was said, I’m sure there’s 100 more times its uttered and I just don’t find out about it.
Ya.

AmalgamDigital.com: One thing I admire about you is that you use your lyrical skill rather than your sexuality to sell records. Do you feel most females will use their sexuality over skills to sell records because they lack skills or because sex sells?

Eternia: I think most women use their sexuality over skills because the people around them impress on them that’s what they have to do, and they are impressionable. I, thankfully, make decisions for myself. For now.

AmalgamDigital.com: Who are some of your favorite artists you have worked with and why?

Eternia: WordsWorth because he is dumb humble, and a man of integrity who stands for his principles. Few of those types in this biz. Mercilless, a producer that has been featured on all 3 of my releases, from Toronto. He did “Evidence”, one of my biggest songs u could say. I love him like a brother. He’s family to me. We hang out outside of music, he’s the man. Collizhun who is also from Toronto. He raised me in the scene, and introduced me to radio and live perfomances. I wouldn’t be who I am as an artist without his guidance. For awhile I was pretty much ‘his artist’. He took me under his wing and I am indebted to him for a lot. Apathy, we are working on an album together. The way I work with him in the studio is unlike the way I work with anybody else. He validates my work ethic (a lil anal, to put it mildly) cause he’s just as picky as me. Our music making process is seamless. I can’t wait to unleash that album to the world.
To be honest with you though – everyone I have ever recorded with are peoples to me… outside of music… so that’s a TOUGH q. All of em are dope in different ways.

AmalgamDigital.com: What artist do you want to work with?

Eternia: Pharoahe. Umm.. he probably knows that, but I ain’t pushin’ it haha. I’d like to do more with 9th (Wonder)actually in the same studio as opposed to the internet route. I’d love to do a collab with Amy Winehouse… think our voices would compliment each other (a girl at a show the other day called me the “Amy Winehouse of rap” lol.. whatever that means). But I know we both got low tones, and talk about serious “I’ll f*ck u up” shit ha. There’s a lot more obvious names (Premo, Pete Rock, Common…) but umm … gotta get to an appropriate level in the playing field first.

AmalgamDigital.com: I just checked out “Nowhere No More” and the track is tight, how did you hook up with 9th Wonder?

Eternia: That goes back a number of years, to around 2003 or 2004 or something. Cesar Comanche asked me to be on his album, and I recorded on “Up & Down” on a 9th beat… it ended up being Cesar’s lead 12” single offa ABB. So that was an honor. So when I first met 9th, in Toronto, I was like “Hey, I’m the chick that was on ‘Up & Down’”… we built, have always had a good rapport, that time he sent me beats like the next day. We have another song together called “Everything”. And I plan to do more, fingers crossed. Everybody wants a piece of him though, so its hard.

AmalgamDigital.com: Since you dropped your critically -acclaimed debut CD “It’s Called Life” in 05 how has your life changed?

Eternia: Umm… haha… shiieet… I know it has but I’m so involved in it I don’t see it. I did a lot the Year that album dropped. I toured Australia, I did Warped Tour, I shot like 2-3 music vids, I dropped the Collection and the album…. A Lot of shit. That year was probably my best year to date, productivity wise. I hold a lot of things up to that year, see if I’m really progressing. Shit is moving slower than I’d like. I’d like to not be workin a day job right now. That’d be nice.

AmalgamDigital.com: In 20yrs what do you think people will say about Eternia?

Eternia: Damn she was dope… it’s too bad labels didn’t recognize that shit soon enough, before she disappeared. Haha…nah but seriously tho. I’m not gonna bang my head up against a brick wall forever. One of these days something has to budge. Or I’ll just take my cue, and exit.

AmalgamDigital.com: What are you working on next?

Eternia: The album with Apathy (50% done,… its called “Eternia by Apathy”), hopefully out by end of 2008.Also working on another solo album. Doing music videos, touring… keeping the momentum going. More than anything, making a damn living offa this. I have humble aspirations. I don’t need to be 50 large. I just want to pay my rent. That’s all people.

Check Out Eternia:
http://www.myspace.com/eternia
http://www.urbnet.com/eternia

Panacea Creating the Cure Artist: Panacea Interviewer: Dru Garrity

Panacea Creating the Cure

Interviewed by Dru Garrity 07-13-07

AmalgamDigital.com: So why did you chose the name Panacea?

K-Murdock: The name came from me studying word origins and etymology in college, the word is Greek rooted and means cure-all… I thought it be cool to use for a group name cuz music has always been my remedy for any and everything in regards to my own life, so we rolled with it!

Raw Poetic: Yeah, now tell me we aint the coolest geeks you ever met!

AmalgamDigital.com: How did the group come together?

K-Murdock: Me and Raw P met through a coworker of mines named Kory back in 2k3, Kory told me his roommate rhymed and was lookin to collaborate with a producer, thus I slid Jason (Raw P) a beat cd and the beat he liked the most turned out to be “Birdfeather”. After we recorded that, I was like “yo man, we should do a side project… and I decided to use “Panacea” as the name… 4 years and 3 albums later… here we are.

Raw Poetic: Alright! KB has gotten enough props here. But it is true. I was (and sill do) playing with my band Restoring Poetry in Music (RPM). I like to write a lot, so I needed that extra outlet. And Doc had the right prescription. Wow! The lines get cheesier and cheesier.

AmalgamDigital.com: Who are your influences?

K-Murdock: For me as a producer, it ranges from the usual hip-hop suspects (Dilla, Pete Rock, Premo) to cats who like Nicolay, Dj Spinna, and Nujabes who all are ill arrangers and fuse a bit of a spaceyness with the soul to create some dope music. I also am a BIG Quincy Jones fan. Outside of music, things like anime, nature, and just normal life experience influences what I construct sonically.

Raw Poetic: Lack of sleep, pill popping, depression, and, nice people! I kidd, I kidd!!! As I get older, so does my musical taste. And since most albums are stories, I’m getting into film scores. I love Punch Drunk Love’s soundtrack. And I hate the movie “Harry Potter”, but the soundtrack is simply wonderful!

AmalgamDigital.com: How did the group hook up with Glow in The Dark Records?

K-Murdock: Funny enough, we linked up with GITD via Myspace.com… I sent their flagship group (Time Machine) a friend request, they accepted and checked our music out.., 3 months later, we were signing our first ever contract and we been rollin 2 years DEEP.

Raw Poetic: I met the Glow in the Dark dudes in New York! After a few hours of observation, I finally understood the meaning…

AmalgamDigital.com: What was it like dropping an album on the new Rawkus?

K-Murdock: It was surreal to have an album out with the famed Rawkus Razorblade on the back, especially after spending the bulk of my college radio years playing and canonizing the Rawkus catalogue… though a lot has changed since the first run of the label, it still means a lot and its an honor as well as a dream come true to help establish a new era for the label.

Raw Poetic: You mean Glow in the Dark Records? Its been a real experience!

AmalgamDigital.com: Will you have any guest appearances on the new album?

K-Murdock: Aside from featured musicians (namely Aaron Gause and Patrick Fritz from Panacea’s live backing band RPM) the guest appearances are limited to vocalists (Jive artists raheem Devaughn and indie folk singer Thao Nguyen) and one guest emcee who happens to be Raw P’s cousin, Pointblank, who also furnished the ill front cover artwork too.

Raw Poetic: I think I get a 24 hour crush on every single woman I meet. I met Thao, and then wrote “Walk in The Park”. And when you know you can’t tell a girl she inspired a song, make her sing on it.

AmalgamDigital.com: Who is doing production?

K-Murdock: ALL PRODUCTION or soundscaping is handled by me, K-Murdock… it’s a 2 man effort, all beats by me, and all rhymes by Raw P… that’s it, Panacea!

Raw Poetic: As you can see, Doc don’t fuck around on this subject. So all producers give up on adding beats to a Panacea album. This dude WILL use that Rawkus razor Blade!

AmalgamDigital.com: What do you think of the current hip-hop scene?

K-Murdock: Too many cats screamin “REAL HIP-HOP”, its annoyin cuz if you and what u do is really REAL, u need not say it at all, cuz its just understood and respected. I would mention the lack of balance on the radio and video screens or lack of cats really trying new progressive things with the music, but you guys already know that’s the case… right?!? Haha

Raw Poetic: ohhh. The old current state of hip-hop question, eh! In the infamous words from the Russian Dude in Rocky, “If he dies.., he dies!” If hip-hop was Apollo Creed, I’m the Russian dude… and that was meant to make no sense.

AmalgamDigital.com: Do you think the internet has or will destroy the music industry?

K-Murdock: With the current state of the industry and sales being down in cds and consumers distrusting the majors and the artists they back, I think god for the internet, cuz it allows the previously unheard to have a voice and build a fanbase just via myspace and youtube, its easy to get ya music heard, it just better be good when it is… plus, its just a sign of the times… any time a new medium comes out that significantly impacts the way we buy and sell our music, these kinda questions and concerns almost always arise… we embrace the change and just keep focusin on making good music, that’ll NEVER change!!!

Raw Poetic: Unless one of us has a sex change like one of the dudes who did the matrix! Then we’ll start doing jungle remixes of all our songs and dress like Morpheus and Neo. That would be dope!!!

AmalgamDigital.com: What are you working on next?

K-Murdock: We just wrapped recording the next album for 2008, and already are in pre-production for the 5th album for 2k9… so stay tuned. New projects comin from our camp like my instrumental series, “Mood Muzik”, Raw P’s solo album and a full length album from our band RPM called “Pyramids in Moscow” avail soon via digital download…

PlayAktion with Akrobatik Artist: Akrobatik Interviewer: Dru Garrity

PlayAktion with Akrobatik

Interviewed by Dru Garrity 07-02-07

AmalgamDigital.com: How did you get your start in the hip-hop game?

Akrobatik: I been rhymin’ for as long as I can remember. 2 nd, 3rd grade even. But I got my real start in the game with my man Gov. Pete on Detonator Records. We put out a few singles, then an EP, all the while he was bookin’ major acts and I would open up for them, showing the local crowd I was just as nice as their favorites.

AmalgamDigital.com: Who are your main influences?

Akrobatik: I draw influences from everywhere, but as far as emcees, I would have to point to KRS, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, EPMD, and A Tribe Called Quest, first and foremost. I also think Prince is an ill lyricist.

AmalgamDigital.com: What was the first single you ever dropped?

Akrobatik: “Ruff Enuff” b/w “Woman” and “The Fat Sh*t” ft. Mr. Lif. Detonator Records, 1998

AmalgamDigital.com: In the late 90’s, early 2000′ you dropped several 12″ singles, how does it feel to see vinyl disappear from hip-hop?

Akrobatik: It is what it is. I have learned to adapt with the times, and I love what technology is doing for creating music. Unfortunately, anyone can now have a studio at home and make a “record”, but for the true professionals I find it really helpful. I’m not a DJ though, so their view might differ a bit from mine.

AmalgamDigital.com: How did you hook up with Mr. Lif to form The Perceptionists?

Akrobatik: Me and Lif been boys since like ‘95, and we knew we had undeniable chemistry since way back then. It was only right that we form a group and tour the world together.. Most fun I’ve ever had.

AmalgamDigital.com: I have seen you guys perform live several times and you have a chemistry that a lot of groups lack, what do you contribute that to?

Akrobatik: Man that just comes from being close friends, and fans of each others’ work. We both just love what we do so much, and we are into a lot of the same things outside of music too. It all comes really natural. You can’t really fake being best friends with someone.

AmalgamDigital.com: You have been all over the world, what has been your favorite place to perform and why?

Akrobatik: I love Paris, because I took French from a very young age and always wanted to use it in life outside of school. The first show I ever did in Paris was sold out. When I came back a few years later, I wrote a rhyme in French/English and read it off the paper for the crowd – they went nuts! It’s amazing to have a dream of this far off place as a child, and then getting paid to go there doing what I love most.

AmalgamDigital.com: I recently heard you on Jamn94.5 in Boston, how did u end up as the sports emcee doing the “Sports Rap Up” on the Ramiro & Pebbles morning show?

Akrobatik: My man Gee Spin hooked that up. Ramiro wanted to do a funky sports segment, and Gee knew I was the dude for the job. He was always tryin to get me to throw more sports references in my rhymes, so I know he’s lovin’ this.

AmalgamDigital.com: I also heard you started your own label, how is that going for you?

Akrobatik: Slow. I don’t wanna rush or force anything. Plus, I still have my own album to put out. After that, we’ll see what’s up with PlayAktion Recordings.

AmalgamDigital.com: Who have you signed?

Akrobatik: No one as of yet, but I have my eye on a few artists already.

AmalgamDigital.com: Do you think the internet has helped or hurt the music industry?

Akrobatik: It has hurt those without the ability to adapt. But if you lack that, you will pretty much struggle through life in general. If you expect things never to change, or can’t deal with when they do, you are guaranteed to get lost in the shuffle. For me, the internet has helped greatly. And as far as all the illegal downloading… I’m just working on stepping my game up with my releases; tighter liner notes, fresh artwork, enhanced CDs.. Things to make people WANT to by my shit regardless of how easy it is to illegally download the songs. An album should be more than just the songs, anyway.

AmalgamDigital.com: What are you working on next?

Akrobatik: New album, Absolute Value, out this fall on Fat Beats Records! Appearances from Little Brother, Talib Kweli, B-Real, Chuck D., Bumpy Knuckles, Mr. Lif, and more. I also have production from J-Dilla, Illmind, Hezekiah, J-Zone, Therapy, 9 th Wonder and even more. It should be a really fun time for me when this album drops. I KNOW heads are sleepin!

Ill Bill Is The Future Artist: ILL BILL Interviewer: Dru Garrity

Ill Bill Is The Future

Interviewed by Dru Garrity 07-02-07

Photography by: Mike McGrath

AmalgamDigital.com: How long have you been in the hip-hop game?

Ill Bill: Over 20 years.

AmalgamDigital.com: How did you get your start?

Ill Bill: In fifth grade during math class, not paying attention to the teacher.

AmalgamDigital.com: Who are your main influences?

Ill Bill: N.W.A., Slayer, Larry Flynt, Ghandi.

AmalgamDigital.com: Congratutions on recently becoming a Father. How has the birth of your child changed your perspective on life & hip-hop?

Ill Bill: It hasn’t changed my perspective on hip-hop at all but my life has changed a whole lot and so that’s a part of my music now.

AmalgamDigital.com: With the breakup of Non-Phixion last year, many heads are wondering are there any plans to drop an album of unreleased tracks?

Ill Bill: None.

AmalgamDigital.com: You have put out and been featured on several projects, what was your favorite project and why?

Ill Bill: La Coka is my favorite outside of solo music. It ain’t a project though, it’s a group and it ain’t out yet but when you hear it, you’ll understand why I’m so proud of it.

AmalgamDigital.com: You have toured all over the world, what country do you enjoy performing in front of and why?

Ill Bill: I dig traveling and doing shows everywhere but there’s nothing like performing at home. Shows in the States are kool but especially in NYC.

AmalgamDigital.com: I see you are in the process of putting out a CD, can you tell us more about the idea behind it, what artist’s/producers can we expect to be featured on it and when does it drop?

Ill Bill: It’s an hour of music that tells you where I’m at with life and the world around me. I have people like Howard from Killswitch Engage, Raekwon the Chef , Bad Brains, La Coka Nostra, Cypress Hill, Tech N9ne, Necro, Vinny Paz, Max Cavalera, Immortal Technique, all these people are on the record. It’s called “The Hour Of Reprisal”, it comes with a free dvd of me live at CB’s and it drops this Fall.

AmalgamDigital.com: How did you hook up with Everlast, DannyBoy, DJ Lethal, & Slaine to form La Coka Nostra and when can we expect an album?

Ill Bill: Shit just happens. I did a song with Lefty, then me and Everlast did a couple of songs, then Slaine jumped into the mix and next thing you know we have 30 songs. Album in 2008.

AmalgamDigital.com: Do you think releasing albums digitally is the future & why?

Ill Bill: Yes, I think it’s the future because that’s where the people that want albums are at, in the digital world. Although I think it’s more so about single songs, not albums. I make more money off t-shirts anyway, so I don’t really give a fuck.