Every other Tuesday, we release an interview with hip hop artists and creatives, who range from DJs to breakers, emcees to writers, producers to entrepreneurs, community leaders and mentors. We talk about their passion for hip hop, their lessons learned, business practices, relationships, personal development and maintaining health. You will get to know our guests and learn from their experiences. Thereby, we hope you get a real and authentic insight into the untold stories and lives of the people who actively contribute to the hip hop culture, beyond the mass media portrayal.
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In 2007, I recorded a short interview with A-Plus and Tajai of Souls of Mischief before one of their shows. The group from Oakland, California, consists of four emcees (together with Opio and Phesto) and is part of the legendary hip hop collective Hieroglyphics.
We talk about their choice to be independent, not disturbing the space-time continuum, supporting OC & Goapele, and much more.
Yes, yes, what's up this is a plus from the mighty souls of mischief hieroglyphics crew in the building.
Welcome to Souls of Hip Hop:
throwback edition. Between 2004 and 2015, I interviewed many hip hop artists and recently discovered some of the recordings in my archives. We want to share a selection of our favorites, and bring you these throwbacks in between our regular episodes. Enjoy. On today's throwback edition of souls of hip hop, we have a legendary group of MCs from Oakland, California, whose name has served as an inspiration for the name of our podcast, souls of mischief. In 2007, I got to record a quick interview with them right before a show. Hence, it's short and sweet, but we hope you enjoy it. Here's the throwback: from 93 till today, you have already achieved great success. But can you give a short recap for the listeners that might not know you yet? So I'm in a group Souls of Mischief, it's four fellows in the group, myself A Plus. And there's Tajai Opio and Phesto D. And we dropped our first album in 1993. On a major label on Jive Records, we talked a second one like maybe 95 even we left that label subsequently and put out start putting out independent stuff with our eyes. We started our own label in like 9596 and put out hieroglyphics first album, we put that out in like 9798. And we put out another solo album, I think it may be 2000 something, put out a casual album, put out a towel album, and put out another hieroglyphics album in 2003. We just been putting out stuff man like just you know we were we all run the label and we'd be buying a property and stuff like just tried to do it. Try to keep the keep moving, man, we just do what we do. We like to do basically do music I we like it. And we glad to be here we happy for any kind of support that we've gotten from 93 until now. You've built yourself a loyal fan base that is waiting for the next album to drop. Can you share what you have in the making? Yeah, absolutely. There's something in the making. Like we were just trying to get some things out of our system. tajae have put out his solo album power movement. opo put out his solo album, triangulation station. And also, I'm working on my album is gonna come out this summer is called my last khadim and after that festival, putting out an album but I think we're gonna put out a solo album before we put out festivals album. And working on the souls album right now with with Prince Paul. So that's coming out Dale got an album coming out called 11th hour. Oh, yeah, that hieroglyphics album was third eye vision, by the way, finally came back to Yeah, we just tried to stay prolific try to keep it moving. It has been allowed for a solo album, but the only reason is because it is because everybody's working on solo albums. But we still been touring and stuff with the solo albums gonna be you know, I don't know, we always do some different sit every time we come out. So it's still us but it ain't never last thing we did we don't do we don't do it like that. Everywhere. Everybody got their own way of doing it. When are so we just hope people like and want to come out you know, and that's that's pretty much all you can hope for. We appreciate everybody who supports us. The landscape of rap has changed dramatically since 1993. How do you feel about the continuous change is there's numerous changes that have always been changing since its inception is one of the music's that changes and mutates faster than any other kind of music in the history of mankind present recorded history. So I mean, and it's like completely international and global worldwide, as influences come from all over the place. Now. people making offshoots and all kinds of stuff. So, I mean, it's I can't really describe the changes specifically. But I do know that hip hop has always been changing from from the 70s, early 80s, mid 80s, late 80s, early 90s. I mean, there's always changing and always getting bigger. So, you know, this is I come to expect that out of hip hop and that's kind of how can we make music the way we do because we will listen to hip hop since the 70s and it's it was always changing all while we were growing up. So when we decided when we ended up making their part for the public we're gonna be like yeah, we're gonna be partially change it back when we first started it wasn't cool to do the same shit over and over again. So we kind of like live by we make our music by those laws just just naturally because we've always done it that If you could travel back in time, what piece of information would you give your younger self? You know, that's a very intriguing question. But I'm one of those. I'm one of those, you know, science fiction, people who like to read science fiction books and wants to show some shit. And I really wanted to mess with the time space continuum. I think things happen the way they happen, because it posts to happen like that. And to put too much on either way, it's like, taking way too serious. You know, I mean, what happens happens, and you can only put so much on a gauge on what's going to happen. It's like, you know, it's just, you don't know, messing with time and space, you always know you change out one little fact. And maybe you grow up with one leg, or you don't have any kids or suppose you know, this, you know, so I wouldn't try to replace that. Now. I kind of like, I ain't got no qualms with anything. I'm completely I'm content and happy. I mean, not content, but happy without things have gone. I was still moving. So I wouldn't take anything back. But we still moving forward. So you know, I don't know what I would change. How did the Hiero Imperium come about? And how did O.C. become a part of your collective? Man, we just basically, after we dropped from our labels decided that we're not going to go to another label, because of creative control and things of that nature and started up the label of our own. And we wanted it to be a home for just good, good music, the type of music that we wanted to make that the type of music that in the public dictates that you should make radio etc, etc. So we've just been doing that for the past eight years, nine years now. And sign an OC is just a natural sort of progression from that. He's a guy who really, I think, one of the most underrated MCs extremely talented, and makes classics. So it just goes alive of what our label was about. We want to sign anybody like that. You put out Goapele's album. Is she signed to Hiero? Well, actually, you know what we did with Goapele on her album closer that released a couple years back, it was a joint venture with Star blaze entertainment, excuse me, Sky blaze entertainment. And hieroglyphics Imperium. So that album did well and subsequently she was she was getting courted by different major labels, and she ended up going to Columbia. So her new album that just released at the end of last year is out on Columbia. So we don't have anything to do with that album. But we we love and respect Goapele as an artist and as a person and we wish her the best and closer album like we still that's still a joint venture with us and now, like if people go back and buy our first album, that's we still have to do with that. But as far as now like she's doing her thing, man, she's shining out there, and we're happy for her. Is there anything you would like to tell the listeners here in Switzerland? To all my Swiss fans out here in Switzerland. Man you all have a unique place on earth man, just keep your hip hop as unique as the places and you know embrace all different kinds of hip hop because it's all one culture. Don't be all divisive with the shit man it's like you know sometimes you like some stuff sometimes you don't want that don't mean it's real. It's fake. I mean, somebody else likes it like you know, just live and let live. Enjoy good music thank you for supporting hieroglyphics all these years and having this back to your country and we will be back and get A Plus's solo album my last good deed it's coming out this I think he said it all man mak sure you pick up that powe movement album. The remix album Man just like you said, Mak keep your music and your inne culture unique. represen yourself. Don't try to represen somebody else. That' and we love you. Our theme music was beatboxed y Denis the Menace and p oduced by Zede. A big shout out to the brothers from Switzerland. The background music was produced by Taki Brano. A big hank you to a brosky from rovidence. Our podcast asically runs on coffee. To eep our show running. You can upport by buying us a coffee hrough the link in our show otes. I am Candy. I'm DJ azor Cut And this is souls of hip hop.
