November | 2007 | Amalgam Digital Blog

Think You’re Funny? Most Got Jokes Artist: Majik Most Interviewer: Bullet Dupress

Think You’re Funny? Most Got Jokes

Majik Most Interviewed by Bullet Dupress 11-20-07

AmalgamDigital.com: Let’s open this up with a question tailor made for Majik Most: What’s you’re funniest groupie experience?

Majik Most: I messed with a good lookin Amazon groupie chick. She was fly but her hands were bigger than mine!! She was feminine and all that, just a South American Amazonian 6ft tall Freak. I would sit on her lap and kick raps to her. She used to pick me up by the back of my neck and place me on top of something really tall and laugh when I couldn’t get down. So one night she came to my crib really drunk and wanted to bone. So she proceeded to get naked on my bed in the doggie style position. That’s when I noticed she had a piece of toilet paper stuck in her butt. It was a little disturbing so I kicked her out of there and later burned a picture I had of her.

AmalgamDigital.com: How do you go about picking the pictures for the Molestation Station at www.majikmost.com?

Majik Most: I try to be diverse for the fans ya know. Hey one person’s velvet spatula is another man’s ham bone, so you got to put a little for everyone. I mostly put stuff from the porn sites I promote for. I get paid when you sign up for them through www.majikmost.com. This helps fund the music aspect so don’t forget to check it out and support with porn.

AmalgamDigital.com: What’s a typical day in the life of Majik Most like?

Majik Most: I’m still working daily on the Majik Most Cologne line. So you can catch me with goggles on and holding a beaker 24/7.

AmalgamDigital.com: Your bio says you were banned from Dutchmassive’s apartment complex for graffiti. Do you still write to this day? Any funny stories you’d like to share about graffiti?

Majik Most: Not really a graffiti person just messed around when I was younger. I love it though. Only story other than gay graffiti sessions that sucked is when this one time I was banging on this kid’s door calling him a pussy at the same apartment complex where Dutch lived. I unscrewed his peep hole from the outside and put my eye up to it to see into his house. Of course the fuckin kid sprayed spray paint into my eye. I did the fuckin Frankenstein dance on his door and then ashed my face for hours.

AmalgamDigital.com: What did you do to pass time in between “Molesting Hip Hop” and “You Got Jokes?!”

Majik Most: I have a Dingo farm outside of Willacoochee Florida. I love dressing up as a cowboy and surveying the land out there. It’s great to throw a stick and have a hundred dingoes ran off after it all at once. That’s living right there.

AmalgamDigital.com: Who’s the weirdest person you work with and why?

Majik Most: Definitely Celph Titled! He has a prosthetic leg with bullets, a spice 1 cd in it, and a stamp collection. He has both his own legs and everything. He just has this scary old prosthetic leg in his closet with the stuff in it. I think it’s a leg safe. “Well that’s just Weird!” (Majik does a voice impression of Dana Carvey doing an impression of Johnny Carson).

AmalgamDigital.com: How was the hip hop scene growing up in Tampa, Florida?

Majik Most: It was great I love Florida. We were East Coast Heads but living in Florida we were also open to dope West Coast as well as Texas and other southern shit. So I grew up with Gangstarr, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Alkaholiks, Too Short plus Geto Boys, EightBall & MJG, and even Brotha Lynch Hung!

AmalgamDigital.com: What makes you the “Original Sweaty Back Bastard?

Majik Most: Man no matter where I go I end up getting sweaty. I’ll smash my grandmas face off when it comes to hot flashes! I think I have a real problem!!! I’m like a 500 pound man at a hip hop show. It’s crazy. If you see me at a show dump a cooler on Gatorade on my head!

AmalgamDigital.com: If you could pick a different profession that rap, what would it be?

Majik Most: Snake Wrangler for sure.

AmalgamDigital.com: What’s next for Majik Most?

Majik Most: I’m working on three projects right now and trying to pop something off without such a wait time for the fans between projects! So look out for new Majik Most Material pit stopping on your face soon.

Make sure to pick up Most’s new album You Got Jokes?! at Amalgam Digital for $8.99!

BullyMouth Is Smacking You Up

Interviewed by Angelo Snakeyes 11-19-07

AmalgamDigital.com: What have you been up to since you released the “Rock Music” 12″ in 2004?

BullyMouth: Well, we released an EP called Back to School on Division East Records along with Smacks Entertainment. It was cool. A little rushed, and a little over some people’s heads with it. It was awesome to make the album though. We just sat back and wrote some “I don’t give a fuck what you think” type shit. We do that a lot. Truthfully that’s the way music should be made. I ain’t trying to sound like you, don’t try to sound like me…I DON’T GIVE A FU*K! We went on the Van’s Warped Tour. That was a cool experience. That is a grind. 5 on the grind scale. I’m talkin’ about being an ice cube on a hot day type shit. Burger for vegans. Chocolate for diabetics. Books for Bush… a straight challenge. Doing hip hop at a rock venue where out of 32,000 dirty kids about 200 hundred want to hear hip hop. Can’t forget about the few parents that came with the youngens. They got a kick out of the rap shit. I think if hip hop were around at the Woodstock era that would have been awesome the way these old folks enjoyed us. Plus we got to chill with some cool indie artists like…I dunno, but we chilled with them, believe me. We’ve done mad shows since than. I can say we’ve easily done over 300 shows the past 3 years. Maybe not 300 but definitely more than a lot of other heads. In a nutshell, since 2004 the kids love us. Ladies still adore us. It’s around the clock goodness yammameano?

AmalgamDigital.com: In terms of your name, were you a bully in school or did you just threaten a lot of kids?

BullyMouth: Bully is just a word that means “I’ll son you until you prove to me you can beat me” We’re actually a bunch of nice guys. I mean nice like, “Yo, you need something from the store while I’m out?” Every now and than we will feed the squirrel’s at the park and stuff, but that’s never really happened. It’s just a very aggressive brand of hip hop. I’m very proud to say we were one of the first to do this “fusion” music. We weren’t THE first. We definitely live by that style though. It’s that north east big beats, all emotion in the lyrics thing. Krill, Cap, and Len make the beats, Exile and Espee feed off of that and we make that right there. It’s not a game to us.

AmalgamDigital.com: Tell us something embarrassing about Len that he wouldn’t want us to know?

BullyMouth: One time we went to Len’s house and he had this chocolate maker. I don’t know if that’s embarrassing or interesting. He also canes us when we don’t record one take verses.

AmalgamDigital.com: Who are some emcees out there today that you would tell to step up their rhyming game?

BullyMouth: HA! A LOT!!!!! If you made up a new dance in the last year, or you have punchlines in every verse step it up. That’s not music. That’s rap. No emotion in the thing. Hip Hop is music. I think a lot of artists nowadays are just writing things to make the crowd snap a finger or ooh and ahh. I wanna know what’s going on in your hood. I wanna be there listening like, “Word I feel this”. There’s no word play anymore either. I dunno. Hip Hop Sucks right now. Nas was right. Yes he was. You wanna write battle raps, enter a battle. I mean we got them few songs that’ll let you know don’t fuck with the kids on that level, but there’s more to our music. A lot of emotion. I mean, I swear Exile disses me on every song. That’s cool though. I can feel that.

AmalgamDigital.com: What was your stance during the east coast vs. west coast beef of the mid-90’s?

BullyMouth: It was a different era then. It was definitely a big thing. The east and the west were totally different then. Now you can’t tell the difference. So when Snoop stepped on the buildings we felt ashamed. Like damn, my man really took it there. I was still in high school than, so the rebel in me wanted to take care of it myself. Than again, I was still in high school. What the hell was I really going to do? I’ll tell you this much though. Wu Tang really saved my hope when Forever dropped. That album had me like, “Yo this is our (the east coast’s) music right here”.

AmalgamDigital.com: Would you rather have a girl with a banging body and suspect face or a dime-piece face and Grimmace body?

BullyMouth: I’d rather have a chick that will tell me my shit is wack and still make me breakfast in the morning.

AmalgamDigital.com: Where will Britney Spears be in two years from now?

BullyMouth: In one of those upscale go go spots on the west side high way…collecting the price of admission at the door behind the bulletproof glass.

AmalgamDigital.com: How would you describe Kice… Of Course?

BullyMouth: Kice is a lot like us. No nonsense, rep Smacks until the day Len says I can’t pay you anymore.

AmalgamDigital.com: What’s the worst thing about being a hip-hop artist?

BullyMouth: It depends- it sucks being a hip hop artist in this area of the country because everybody raps, produces, or has something to do with hip hop. The thing is flooded with a lot of wack, and it over shadows the dudes, and chicks that really put there all into it. I mean I can’t front and say some of these wack dudes don’t grind, and all that. It just throws a cramp in your style. Another thing is getting someone to really listen to you, and take you serious. We get a lot of things because we’re down with Len. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s really hard to find a genuine person out there that really listens to you and says your shit is hot on the strength of just listening. Sometimes I just wanna do something bizarre like ride a tricycle down the block and hope someone asks why I’m doing it. I’ll just tell them, “I’m in a group called BullyMouth and we make dope hip hop, wanna listen?” That shit works. Damn, I’m gonna do that!

AmalgamDigital.com: What’s the Bullymouth going to be spewing in 2008?

BullyMouth: Nothing but the same shit we been puttin out the last few years. A little twists and turns in the game, but nothing but what you know us for. Beer, anatomic correctness, dope gear, ill language arts, and a love for the music.

The New Renaissance Artist: Rugged Intellect Interviewer: Curt Henning

The New Renaissance

Rugged Intellect Interviewed by Curt Henning 11-07-07

AmalgamDigital.com: First off, congrats on the new album- it bangs front to back. What was the process of recording Renaissance Music?

Rugged Intellect: Much appreciated, man. The recording process was somewhat complex in the sense that I was recording all over the place: Montreal, New York, LA, New Jersey and not necessarily always in the most comfortable situations. But aside from the traveling aspect, recording the album was an enriching experience. Aside from the solo records I worked on with my producer and friend Adam Sampler, collaborating with such hip-hop luminaries as Kool G Rap, Ras Kass, AG and everyone else definitely took it to the next level especially since that wasn’t exactly the plan when we started the recording process.

AmalgamDigital.com: Your MC name- Rugged Intellect- is a throwback to the early 1990s, an era where it was essential to be both smart and thorough. How did you choose this name and what do you feel it communicates about you?

Rugged Intellect: As an individual who does a lot of reading I once came across a passage in a book who’s title I don’t remember and it was the first time I had encountered these two words put together as such. Those two words together, Rugged Intellect, are the exact representation of who I am as a person, my thought process, how I operate and carry myself. Just because I’m Rugged doesn’t mean I don’t have a brain and just because I’m Intellectual doesn’t mean I won’t whoop someone’s ass (laughs)!

AmalgamDigital.com: It’s always impressive when an MC from outside of the United States breaks through the barrier. Being from Canada, did you have to overcome any adversity in your pursuit of making music in the States?

Rugged Intellect: Personally the barriers that I’ve had to overcome were surprisingly never related to my country of origin or anything like that. Being from Canada has never prohibited me from networking and building relationships or getting my skills recognized by some of the most reputable people in the business. In fact, being from Canada was an advantage in some situations, since people weren’t really accustomed to hearing an MC from Canada take it to this level. Coming from a modest background the biggest adversity I’ve faced has been on the economic level as it’s hard to enter an industry so reliant on capital propensity when you’re working with really modest budgets and coming from the absolute ground up.

AmalgamDigital.com: Why did you opt to move to Hollywood instead of traditional New York when you relocated to the US? How was your experience out there? Did you experience any culture shock?

Rugged Intellect: Actually the relocation to Hollywood was only temporary and that was actually during when I signed my first deal with a label that was based in Hollywood. The experience out there was cool, I got to network and check out what the scene was like. I’ve lived in New York and New Jersey as well for short periods of time, but I would definitely pick New York as a point of permanent relocation when the time is right.

AmalgamDigital.com: You’ve worked with some impressive artists such as Sean Price, R.A. the Rugged Man, Buckwild, DJ Muggs and Domingo. How did you make these collaborations happen? Who can we expect to hear you work with in the future?

Rugged Intellect: Basically, after the disintegration of my situation out West, I came back to New York and was introduced to Domingo. Domingo, who most know for producing “The MC” for KRS One and “Dream Shatterer” for Big Pun, has played a very instrumental role in my career by teaching me the ropes and putting me in situations where I was able to work with some of the best. It’s safe to say the album would not be what it is without Domingo’s contributions. As far as future collaborations, I will be putting out a mixtape album sometime soon and it will feature CL Smooth, Party Arty and the GD Squad as well as some more stuff with the homie Sean Price. I also look forward to doing more work with Buckwild and hopefully working with Showbiz as well.

AmalgamDigital.com: What are the best and worst parts of being a full time MC?

Rugged Intellect: The best part would be feeling the people’s love and appreciation for the hard work put in, that’s always dope. The worst part would definitely be the lack of financial stability because as we know MCing is not a conventional occupation with a set salary and hours. Then again, it’s all in the grind….

AmalgamDigital.com: What do you prefer- working in the studio or rocking shows and why?

Rugged Intellect: I have an appreciation for both spectrums as they both serve different purposes. I enjoy the studio because that’s where the magic happens in terms of creating songs and the recording process. Rocking shows is dope because that’s when you get to connect with hip-hop heads, perform the new joints and move the crowd.

AmalgamDigital.com: You’ve got a rep for kicking impressive freestyles. Is this still something that you do to this day or have you eased off improved rhyming? How much of your recorded material is started off as a freestyle before it becomes a song?

Rugged Intellect: I don’t think I would ever be able to stop freestyling because it’s something that comes as natural to me as talking. The only difference is that it rhymes. When I perform at shows, freestyling is always a part of the routine as it adds another element to the performance and the crowd loves it because they know you’re going off the top. 98 percent of my recorded material is written and perfected beforehand although I have incorporated certain lines or flow patterns from a freestyle into song form. Truth be told, if I didn’t care about maintaining a certain degree of quality, I could lock myself in a booth and record an album a week strictly freestyling. But because of the complexity of my rhymes and the thought process behind creating a song, I prefer my songs to be structured.

AmalgamDigital.com: What do you think hip hop is really missing today?

Rugged Intellect: Big Pun, Big L, Eazy E, Jam Master Jay, Freaky Tah, Aaliyah, 2Pac, Notorious BIG, Proof, and all the hip-hop soldiers in Heaven. RIP

AmalgamDigital.com: Any final words or shoutouts?

Rugged Intellect: First and foremost a big shout-out to the whole Renaissance Music/Expertism Music Group team. Big shout out to Domingo, Truth Between The Lines, and everybody holding me down worldwide.

For those that don’t know my album “Renaissance Music: The Introduction” is available now and features collaborations with Kool G Rap, Ras Kass, RA The Rugged Man, AG & Party Arty and Heltah Skeltah as well as production from Domingo, Buckwild, Adam Sampler and others. Make sure to check it out at Amalgam Digital, and also other retailers like Amazon, Fat Beats, UGHH, Newbury Comics and more…..Peace and One Love

Of Course It’s Kice! Artist: Kice (Of Course) Interviewer: Angelo Snakeyes

Of Course It’s Kice!

Interviewed by Anglelo Snakeyes 11-07-07

AmalgamDigital.com: What’s the newest and latest with Kice… Of Course?

Kice…Of Course: The latest thing going with Kice right now is I’m currently working on new music for a new album for 2008. I’m also working on trying to do songs for movie sound tracks and commercials, and most of all perfecting my skills.

AmalgamDigital.com: How the heck did you get that name?

Kice…Of Course: The name Kice does not have a special meaning I just liked how it sounded and my first name began with a k. Back in high school I didn’t have a rap name so a friend of mine needed a word to rhyme with nice so I said “Kice yeah Kice” and weeks later everybody called me Kice and then I became a legend.

AmalgamDigital.com: What’s your favorite song that you’ve recorded?

Kice…Of Course: My favorite song is My Style and Competition. Both are on my “New Experience” album. I Like My Style because I basically use a whole song comparing my style to things. I liked Competition because it was my first single and fans tend to love that joint when I perform it.

AmalgamDigital.com: What’s your take on the whole digital revolution in terms of distribution?

Kice…Of Course: I think it’s just like life digital revolution relating to distribution is just something that comes with the way of life in today’s hiphop era. I take it as another avenue, that’s all.

AmalgamDigital.com: Do bootleggers deserved to have their heads smashed in?

Kice…Of Course: I still have yet to reach a concrete answer on this because on one take, I say they bootleggers need they head bashed for taking out of the artist pocket, but then on another note bootleggers help promote artist too, how many shows have artist done where they didn’t get paid on some promo ish what’s the difference.

AmalgamDigital.com: What’s the craziest thing that’s happened involving the Dummy Smacks camp?

Kice…Of Course: I can’t really recall a crazy story but most def when we are all together we all are crazy cuz we crack jokes on each other.

AmalgamDigital.com: Tell us about the “New Experience” album.

Kice…Of Course: The “New Experience” album is definitely a hiphop classic. It touches a world of topics, and its real life issues. You a thug check out Say Something you into your girl check out Everything you wanna chill in your car and drive play Cruise, and the list goes on. The one thing I loved about this album is its cats just now calling me like “yo son yah joint is the hottest kid” and it bugs me out cuz the album dropped already that’s what I call timeless music. I was on Myspace and this girl had Miracles on her page and she’s from Brazil, people leave me comments from Germany and Spain. Yo son I’m from NJ that’s big to me

AmalgamDigital.com: Any groupie stories?

Kice…Of Course: No I have no groupie stories, but one time I did a show in Cali and this dude comes up to me and says yo your music is so-so but my girl loves your album she begged me to bring her to see you, so I brought her to see you perform. I said to myself no wonder he thinks my music is so-so (laughs).

AmalgamDigital.com: What do you want people to remember about Kice… Of Course years from now?

Kice…Of Course: What you will remember about Kice years from now is that there was no other artist who kept it as real as he did and he is a legend. Your also gonna say dam I think Kanye bit his style no dis.

AmalgamDigital.com: What’s the biggest mis-conception about Kice… Of Course?

Kice…Of Course: The biggest misconception about Kice is cats think I’m just on some common sense, Kanye ish, yo do not sleep for real I can be as street as Siegel or Mobb Deep I CHOOSE TO RHYME THIS WAY, cuz I figure we have enough emcees talkin ish lets spit about how African Americans are the biggest spenders in the world yet we own nothing catch my drift.

It’s Not Just A Label Artist: Sean Jean’s Brian Ward Interviewer: Angelo Snakeyes

It’s Not Just A Label

Sean Jean’s Brain Ward Interviewed by Angelo Snakeyes 11-07-07

AmalgamDigital.com: What’s your position over at Sean John and what does it entail?

Brian Ward: Licensing Manager

AmalgamDigital.com: In terms of companies who geared their clothing towards the hip-hop generation, who would you say were some of the pioneers?

Brian Ward: Definitely Mecca, PNB, Phat Farm, Triple 5 Soul, Karl Kani, FUBU, Cross Colours

AmalgamDigital.com: When it comes down to marketing Sean John clothing, how are decisions made and, ultimately, does P. Diddy have the final say?

Brian Ward: Here at Sean John, Marketing is handled through various channels, lots of meetings to discuss budgets, and Mr Comb’s final decision

AmalgamDigital.com: What differentiates Sean John from other “urban-oriented” clothing lines?

Brian Ward: Sean John is in a class by itself! Sean John’s focus is all about the best quality merchandise at a reasonable price point. We are definitely not the outfit who buys the cheapest materials, and sells at the highest prices. Every category that we carry comes from some of the industry’s very best licensees.

AmalgamDigital.com: What are some of the benefits from working there?

Brian Ward: Some of the benefits are the exposure to the upper echelon companies in the industry, and networking with people who make this industry what it is. There is travel, a lot of industry parties, dinners, functions, good pay, and room to grow! Not alot of people can say that they love to get up in the mornings and get to work at their offices. Every day at SJ brings new excitement, new challenges, and you just never really know what’s going to come up next. Much of the fashion industry revolves around good relationships, and my job is all about maintaining solid relationships with our licensees.

AmalgamDigital.com: Who do you think sets the current clothing trends?

Brian Ward: Sean John is definitely a trend setter. I think other brands are Roc-A-Wear, LRG, Nike, BAPE, ALife,and a few other up-and-coming brands

AmalgamDigital.com: Why have entities like Roc-A-Fella, Bad Boy, Wu-Tang Clan, etc. ventured off into the clothing industry?

Brian Ward: I think licensing is a major component to the longevity of names such as theirs, which have all become household names in Hip-Hop and the urban fashion industry. Licensing is to fashion what publishing is to music! It’s where longevity and the REAL money is! In the music game, you have to get your name out there and keep it out there any way you can. While an artist is hot, he/she has to maximize on every given potential at financial success and prosperity.

AmalgamDigital.com: Who are some of the nicest people you’ve met through your job?

Brian Ward: There are a lot of great people who make up the team here at Sean John, Bad Boy Worldwide, and Daddy’s House. We are a family unit, and things are not run as a typical corporate environment here. PD is very hands on, and is involved in every aspect of the company. He actually comes to work, is in the know about every meeting from concepts and design, production, licensing, approvals, etc, etc. I’m always very impressed with his involvement with the company. At Phat Farm and Def Jam, it wasn’t like that. There were other people told what to do, and how to get it done. That is not the case here.

AmalgamDigital.com: Where a brand like FUBU has come and gone, what is Sean John doing to make sure that won’t happen?

Brian Ward: First of all, SJ is ran like a family unit. He’s involved in every aspect, so there is effective execution and management at every level here. Companies that falter, lose their audience and market appeal, and sell go the way of the dinosaurs, but SJ’s longevity is due to the flexibility to grow with our consumers, and change with the times. You must change, or you will be left behind as yesterday’s old news. You must remain current and relevant with styles, patterns, colors, and the hottest design and marketing teams to execute. SJ is approaching its 10th anniversary, and trust me! We are going to do some serious celebrating across all fronts, and all forms of media. BIG TIME!!

AmalgamDigital.com: How is the ever-changing technology going to have an effect on the clothing industry, if any?

Brian Ward: There will be lots of changes as technology advances in the industry, but we are always keeping our fingers on the pulse of both the industry, and changes in technology. Communication with our overseas partners and factories is always constant, and we watch for changes to come in the future. Change is inevitable. Everything changes in time, but we are looking to maintain a classic brand that will not lose its appeal as time passes by.

AmalgamDigital.com: Final question…do you have to pay for Sean John clothes or do you get the Puff Daddy “Mount Vernon” hook-up?

Brian Ward: LOL! We do get an allowance to purchase all the latest from each season. It’s cool.