Interview Review: Zion-I, Keak, & Spice 1

First we have a HipHopDX interview with Zion-I. The interview is dope and Amp and Zumbi come off really well. They have been around, but they are constantly contributing to the game. Amp's pruduction is diverse and eclectic and Zumbi's lyrics are the words of the common man trying to do good in the world. I'm juiced to hear their new album. Intro is below.

There’s an old saying that goes, “If you don’t rap for something, you’ll fall for anything.” Okay, so maybe those aren’t the exact words. They’re still ones that have served as the foundation over the last decade for Zion I, a progressive Hip Hop duo made of emcee Zumbi and deejay/producer AmpLive.

Underground legends in Oakland, Zion I has won over hearts and car stereos with social-awakening bars and forward-thinking beats. It’s no exaggeration to say that where Bay Area icons Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Souls of Mischief left off, Zion I picked up with CDs like Mind Over Matter, True & Livin’ [click to read] and this month's The Take Over. But hey, Amp and Zumbi aren’t mad that the masses aren’t terribly familiar with their sound. They just don’t necessarily want to hear the complaints either about the lack of diversity in music when they’ve been rapping something different since ’97.

Next we have an interview Keak da Sneak did with XXL. I can't really get down with this one though. XXL is a nation wide hip-hop mag, which means they have to give the West Coast a shout out every once in a while. But given their east coast bias, they clearly don't do their homework on The Bay. Don't get me wrong, I love Keak for what Keak is, but he is not who XXL should be focusing on at this point in his career.

Publications like XXL are obsessed with breaking the next big thing (made obvious by their recent cover featuring the 10 best new artists in hip-hop), or artists who are currently running the game. Often dissed 35+ year old rappers is not a demographic they often feature unless they have to say something about the Bay. Again, I love 40, $hort, Keak, but we have been reduced to them and hyphy in the national consciousness. Publications like XXL need to start doing some research! To give you a taste of what I'm talking about read part of the intro to XXL's Keak interview below.

You know how they say don’t yell “fire” in a movie theater? Well don’t yell Keak Da Sneak’s name in the Bay. Just mentioning him has been known to instantly make legions of Northern Californians ghost ride their whips, start side shows and go dumb. . . Although he boasts a hardcore following that swears by the gravel-voiced rapper’s every word, the energetic left coast rhymer still has a chip on his shoulder and is channeling it through his music. XXLmag.com caught up with Keak to discuss his latest projects, why Hyphy won’t die and what’s holding the Bay back.

Finally we have a HipHopDX interview with Bay OG Spice 1. Here we have an interview in which the subject is a vet, a lá Keak, but the subject matter is more in tune with reality. Spice is still putting out music, so he is not trying to diminish himself, but he acknowledges that labels need to mess with the youth right now. That said, those youth need to learn to be forward thinking and have a broader perspective. The Bay's music scene, like many rappers, is extremely introverted. The key is being able to relate to folks according to Spice.

Spice 1: It's up to the youth, it's up to these little youngsters, man. They gotta believe in a cause that's greater than themselves. Instead of just rapping about themselves, they gotta rap about what's really going on out here and touch everybody instead of [just] motherfuckers in California or in the hood where they from. They need to relate to different subjects. "It's all about me," "I'm the shit," "fuck you" - That's not the way you get fans. You get fans by rapping about shit that they can relate to.

He also speaks on the unfortunate assumed association between money and quality hip-hop.

Spice 1: I was telling my homie earlier that just because a motherfucker might have hella cars or jewelry, that don't make him a rapper. Lots of these young kids think, "He got more money than him, he's tighter," but that shit is crazy. I could be sitting in a two-bedroom apartment or a 10-story mansion, that don't make me no rapper. What makes me an artist is how I get down. How I spit, how I entertain my fans.