Please introduce yourself to the audience!

Cadence: I am a MC/DJ/Producer, originally from Cambridge, MA. In addition to my solo work, I am one half of the group Raw Produce, along with Pitch. Furthermore, I am a member of new group called Alternate Reality, consisting of me and Dumi Right of OUO/Zimbabwe Legit. We are a little more than half done with our album now.

How you started out with hiphop?

Cadence: started out with two mismatched turntables, a radio shack mixer with no crossfader and all the records my allowance money could buy. At first, I was only trying to be a DJ. In the early 90’s, I got down with a crew called the Coalition (which also included DJ Revolution and Mike Ladd, among others) and started getting into production and eventually MCing. Pitch, the other half of Raw Produce, was also a member of the Coalition, that is how we started working together.

How did Alternate Reality and the connection to Africa start out?

Cadence: Zimbabwe Legit dropped a record in the early 90`s on Hollywood Basic. I used to spin it on a radio show I was doing at the time, but I never knew them back then. I found out through Female Fun Music, that Dumi Right form ZL was looking for beats for his other group, O.U.O. and I remembered the old record, so I was interested in getting down. I got lined up to remix a song. And then another. And then to do a beat for a new song. In the end, I was rhyming or producing on damn near half of the O.U.O. album and working some ZL material, too. As we got to know each other better, Dumi and I discovered a lot of common ground and just kept on building. Eventually we were speaking almost daily, building on music projects and trying to help each other navigate the biz. Alternate Reality is kind of the natural extension of that. We were working on so many projects together that it just made sense to start working on an album.

What made you wanting to make Hip-Hop and not just being a fan?

Cadence: I can point to two things that really made it happen:

One was meeting DJ Jesse Jess. He was a local legend around my way, unfortunately he was killed, before he really got to make his mark in music. When I met Jess, I was a bedroom DJ. I was not really trying to reach out beyond making some tapes for myself and my friends. Jess was the first person to get me thinking about going beyond that. In the brief time I knew him, he really inspired me to think about being more than just a listener. That pushed to a point where I started to DJ at parties and school dances and eventually radio. As I got more into it, I started mixing in breaks, some samples that had been used and some that had not. I did not think of it this way at the time, but in retrospect it was the foundation for me becoming a producer.

The second thing was Mike Ladd asking me to DJ at his first show, which was actually at a house party. That led to the formation of a group called the Coalition and eventually to the formation of Raw Produce. At first I thought it was gonna be a one shot thing, but I ended up taking some of those breaks I had stored up and getting involved in making beats for the crew. Eventually, I started writing and recording lyrics. I really did not plan on any of this. I never said:“I am gonna be a DJ/MC/Producer.” It just grew naturally out of my love for music.

What was the first record you bought? Do you still have it?

Cadence: Man, I could not even tell you the first record I bought. Probably some awful Pop-Music. There is a good chance, I still have it, because I have a hard time getting rid of wax. But the first Hip-Hop-Record I bought was “Rockit” by Herbie Hancock. Hearing Grandmixer D.St. on that record, is what made me want to be a DJ in the first place. That is what really inspired me to get started.

Where you dig for records?

Cadence: Anywhere and everywhere. I like hitting stores when I travel, because different cities tend to have different stuff on the racks. I live in the Boston area and we have a lot of spots, ranging from some good used record stores, to flea markets, even the Salvation Army and the Goodwill shops have some good finds. Beyond that, I do a lot of digging in my own house. I do not even know how many records I have now, but it is enough that I can still pull something off the shelf and discover something new on it.

I recently talked to Thes One from The People Under The Stairs and he told me, that he goes on record-buying-trips out of town and abroad. Do you do the same?

Cadence: I do not go on expeditions just for the purpose of record shopping, but I do like to hit the stores wherever I travel. Different cities tend to have different stuff on the shelves. And there have a been a few times where I have had to buy another suitcase, just to bring back the records I bought on a trip.

Did you ever fought with somebody in a store over a record, both of you really wanted to have?

Cadence: The closest I ever came to that, was when I was buying a stack of records at a flea market. I had maybe 10 or 12 records, a few good finds, all marked for $3 a piece. The guy selling the records looked at what I had and said he wanted to jack the price up, because I was buying too much good stuff at once. He said he would sell me any 3 or 4 of the records for $3 a piece, but if I wanted the whole stack he wanted to charge me whatever he thought the records were actually worth. I was not having that though. We argued that one out for a minute, but in the end he gave in.*

Is digging also like a competition between you and djing/producing friends?

Cadence: I used to get caught up in that a little, but eventually I realized that I was going in enough of a different direction, that it did not really matter that much. When it comes down to it, my goal is to have music I like, not music that will make other people jealous. Although, every once in a while, someone will give me a record they think is terrible and I do kind of enjoy finding something on it and making a beat and then playing it for them, just to make them realize what they gave away.

What are your current favorites?

Cadence: Hip-Hop is tough for me right now. I like a few things here and there but I work with some talented people, so I support them. Beyond that, I listen to a lot of older music, be it Hip-Hop, Soul of Jazz. I have really been into Percy Sledge lately. Everyone knows “When a Man Loves A Woman”, but he had so many great songs.

What do you think about repressing old records?

Cadence: Given the choice, the collector in me would take an OG oppressing over a repress any day. And I HATE to see people try to pass off a repress as an original to make money, or bootleg a record and not share the profits with the original artist. But music is to be heard. If a repress is putting money in the pocket of the original artist and it is helping them reach a new audience, I am all for it.

How do you, as a producer of more “organic” music, feel about synthesizer-music?

Cadence: I do not care how people make music, as long as it is good. But when it comes to Hip-Hop, I do feel that sampling is an essential part of the art. I think it is terrible, how the industry has allowed sampling to be criminalized. Yeah, there are people who just jack loops and do not do anything creative with them, but real music made from samples is an art form and it is a shame, that people have to either pay huge amounts of clearance money, risk getting sued, or resort to using synthesizers, just because they are afraid of getting caught for looping something. There are ways the laws could be more fair, so that original artists could get a piece of the pie, without being able to charge an arm and a leg. As it is right now, people`s greed makes it so, that hip hop producers cannot really explore the artform to the fullest, because they always have to worry about money.

When do you write your lyrics? I mean, do you have to be in a special mood; like when you really fed up with something, writing becomes a tool for you to let it out?

Cadence: It depends. Sometimes I really need that focus, or I need something really driving me to write. Other times, I’ve had an idea floating around in my head for long enough, that by the time I sit down to write about it, it is mostly done already. Over the years, I have gotten to where I write much faster, too. It just comes easier now that I’ve been doing it for so long.

Do you think lyrics and music goes hand in hand, or is there thing which stands out for you when making a record?

Cadence: I look at the whole puzzle. There are songs where the music is the driving force, songs where the lyrics are the driving force and songs that are somewhere in the middle. Since I make my own beats, I have the ability to really look at all the elements of a song and that’s what I try to do.

I like the flow of you album a lot. Do you have a special way of arranging tracks or do you just go with you own feeling?

Cadence: I want my albums to be listenable form start to finish. I do not really have a formula for it. I just do it by what sounds right to my ear. But I do pay attention to one songs leading into the next. I think that is as important as the music on the album.

What do you use for production?

Cadence: Right now, I use an MPC2000XL for just about everything. I have used a bunch of stuff over the years, though. I am a firm believer in the idea, that it does not matter, what equipment you use. What matters is, how you use it.

How you feel about the European-, especially UK-, Hip-Hop-Scene?

Cadence: Good music is good music, no matter where it comes from. I have collaborated with people form all over the world, so I try to keep an open mind. But in the US, you do not hear much UK rap, unless you go looking for it. Sad but true. Most UK stuff I hear is because people have put me on to it.

You think there are too many people out there nowadays tryin to make music?

Cadence: It used to be that, even if 99 out of 100 dudes were in a rock band, only 5 or 6 of them could actually afford to buy equipment, book studio time and get their music out to the world. That made the line between amateur and pro pretty clear. Now cats have computers, which can make high quality recordings, and they can post a song on myspace for the world to hear. That changes the whole dynamic and really blurs that line. So what happens is, there is no quality control anymore. It makes it seem like anyone can do this.
I do not think there are too many people making music. Anyone who wants to make music should be able to do it. But I do think there are too many people, who think they are pros at it. Maybe more people need to keep it confined to the privacy of their own home. If you are not on the radio, that does not mean you cannot sing in the shower, right? But if you sound good in the shower, that does not mean you should be on the radio. Does that make any sense?

Definitely. Did the perception of music change, once you started producing?

Cadence: Actually, I think the way I listen to music led me into producing. Ever since I was a kid, I tended to listen to the layers in a song without even realizing I was doing it. I would pick apart harmonies in my head and figure out, who was singing which notes, or listen to the ways instruments played off each other. It was not a conscious thing, but I think it developed onto the skill set that I use to make music now.

Do you play an instrument?

Cadence: I took lessons in a few instruments as a young kid, but never enough to get good at anything. I used to get started on an instrument and then get frustrated that I could not play a song immediately, so I never followed through with any of them.

How you parents feel about your musical career?

Cadence: My Mother passed away before I released any of my albums. I had done some singles and an EP before she died though, so she heard a lot of my earlier stuff. She played a few instruments and was a creative person in general, so I think she was proud that I was trying to do something creative, even though I do not think she fully understood why I chose Hip-Hop. She was very supportive of me though.

I do not know what my father thinks, really. He has never had anything bad to say about the music, but I am not sure if he knows how deep into it I am. He knows I have made some CDs and records, but I do not know if he realizes that they sell all over the world, or that I have worked with some Hip-Hop-Legends.

What is the job that pays the rent?

Cadence: Hip hop only pays part of the bills. The rest of the time I work in community services. Not a big money profession, but it is work I believe in and it keeps a roof over my head.

You think you have a responsibility as an artist with the things you say?

Cadence: Yes and no. The music is about creative expression and I do not want to limit that by saying I can only speak on certain issues. At the same time, even though I am not the biggest star in the game, there are a good number of people who listen to what I put out there and I do not want to waste the chance I have to say something positive with my music. So, I do take advantage of that opportunity as much as I can.

Are you an activist in some sense, besides the lyrical?

Cadence: First off, you cannot overlook the importance of the lyrical part. When I make a record, it gets heard by a lot more people than when I make a statement in another kind of way. And I am not shy talking about politics in my songs. In some ways, that is the most effective way for me to be an activist. I used to write a column for urbansmarts.com, too, and I wrote about a lot of political stuff in that.
Beyond music, I’m politically active in a bunch of ways. My day job is about helping people learn about the law and their rights. BELIEVE that is political in nature. I vote. That should not be worth mentioning, but a lot of people do not even do that anymore. And I will sign a petition, or attend a rally for a cause I believe in. But I cannot overlook the fact, that more people check for me as a musician, than as some dude at a rally. So the music is where I place the biggest emphasis, because that is where I can have the most impact.

Do you think voting could change something, especially in the United States, where there are only two parties that are able to reach out for real power?

Cadence: There are a lot of flaws in our system of government. And in a two party system, it is easy to feel like you do not have any real choices,. But that is no excuse not to vote. If people stop participating in the process, all that does is make it easier for special interests to mobilize their voters and seize even more power. When the choices are bad, voting may not bring about the change that we want it to, but it is all we have, so it is still important.

How do you look at the fact that politicians have to raise a lot of money, only to get in the race of being president in the USA. They depend on the money given to them and, thus, the industry behind it?

Cadence: Of course, that is a huge problem. The people, who have the money, have too much control over the political process. Bending over for an oil company is not a leadership skill. Neither is being a millionaire. But these are the people who hold the power. It is a major reason why the average person feels so disconnected form the process.

How you feel about your government, international and national?

Cadence: The very nicest thing I can say about the current administration, is that they are completely incompetent. From there, my feelings for them only get worse. The war is the big issue. They lied to get us into it and they have no plan to get us out of it. People are dying behind those lies at an alarming rate. Inside the US it is not any better. They cater to big oil companies and the religious right. I hate to think that people around the world may think we actually elected these people. We did not. They stole the elections and they have used fear and manipulation to stay in power. It is shameful. And it is criminal. It really is.

How does faith affect your life?

Cadence: George Carlin once said, religion is like a lift in your shoe. If you need it, that is fine. If you do not need it, that is fine, too. Just do not try to force me to wear your shoes. And whatever you do, do not go around nailing lifts to the native`s feet. I really agree with that. I am not a religious person myself. It that does not mean I am not a moral person or a principled person. I am fine with people believing what they believe, if that is what makes them feel like they belong. What I have a problem with, is people, who feel a need to force those values on other people. I have a song on my album called “Malpractice”, which talks about this issue. The last line kind of suns up my attitude:“Go ahead and practice what you preach, but just do not practice on me”

Interview: Sleut

Cadence im HHV-Shop

Cadence bzw. Raw Produce im Netz