Check out the full interview after the jump.

Jots: so tell the world who you are and where you’re from
Jahpan: whaaat up
this jahpan and i am from the infamous providence ri

Jots: and who are your major influences in hip-hop music?
Jahpan: hmmmm
let me see
first and foremost kool herc
ummm
special ed “youngest in charge” was prolly my first ever sooo
krs
dana dane
slick rick
common sence
i could go on

Jots: we’ll cut it there, dope list though
so tell us about this album of yours
Jahpan: ahh “an album called life”
this is my baby…U know this is something that i have been sculpting for maybe years now
not recording
but building up the energy and influence
i mean from begining to end its a very strong and creative album

Jots: sounds ill. Any guest spots?
Jahpan: oh yeah
of course time machine,fedd hill
shhhhhhhhh we got a sneak from mary j blige
umm
my mello beloved
billy malloy from muriel
and mekalek ex produced the whoooole thing
i hope i didnt forget anyone

Jots: haha sounds serious. What’s the general feel of it? Like is it on some classic boom-bap shit or some radio ish or what
Jahpan: i mean i def carries out a boom bap feel but it truely has its variety
i mean i feel there is def some radio(maybe not commercial) but
theres funk flex classics on there
Jahpan: u know a crazy summer album
and thats not to limit it to that season
but uhh the feel of it is strong similar to that

Jots: yeah i know what you mean, like how rza always says cuban linx is a summery album and liquid swords is some winter shit. sounds dope. so you’re out in california right now?
Jahpan: lol yeah
yeah man lovely l.A.

Jots: what’s it like out there? Like weather and shit, but also how’s the hip-hop scene?
Jahpan: the scene is cool
i feel like any “scene” its boxed in
almost trendy
but its fly
and it is l.A.
soooo its a huge mixture
the weather
whoooo
its hot as shit right now

Jots: have you been doing any shows or live stuff out there at all?
Jahpan: well i just linked with pretty much all the serious promoters at the venues out here
and they are feeling my mission
also due to my relationship with p.U.T.S. And time machine and shawn jackson
they know im bout goin in
so yeah we got the release party coming late august

at a huge venue out here called “the airliner”

Jots: oh nice, my man jonwayne just rocked with oh no there like two or three days ago
so what’s working with people under the stairs like?
Jahpan: i actually seen that flyer
ahhhman
first double is like my uncle
and working with hime u better be ready for an alllll nighter
maybe
and thes….He goes so far in_pause______
like he is a workaholic
and im grateful to have been down with them since -
really really cool dudes

thats family

Jots: that’s dope. I’ve been on a puts kick for like months now, they make classic music. You went on tour with them before right?
with time machine
that was a seperate tour
i did go alotta places with them tho
like we just did the reggae/jazz fest at ucla
bonnaroo
and a few others
im hoping after this release i can hit up uncle thes and see whats up with a slot
yeah i did like – dates with tm last year

Jots: nice nice. Alright, so it’s opinion time
Jahpan: lol

Jots: who’s the worst rapper out right now
Jahpan: ahhhh man local or globally
nosa
i just dug a whole
uuum

Jots: hahahaha
the new boys
from l.A.
the “your a jerk” kids

Jots: are those the clowns who did that you’re a jerk song
Jots: yeah
Jots: man
Jots: fuck those guys, haha
Jahpan: i know one of em too
i mean
its like this they young
u know so u cant expect much
but ignorance is neve an excuse

Jots: it seems like they’re just a major label’s attempt at trying to cash in on the cool kids’ hype
Jahpan: well they in fact said thats who inspired em
which is great for the younger generation
they wanna have fun
but rapping….Lol\
i cant stand asher
uuummmm
lmafo

Jots: so speaking of local rap, what inspired you to make that video
Jots: the message to rhode island rappers, i mean
Jahpan: everybody
from being one of those
and watching the scene suffer because of it
i can be direct with the who’s
but im not tryna alienate folks

Jots: you seemed to have some specific words for a hypothetical peacefest that may or may not have happened in ri. So the hypothetical peacefest didn’t let fedd hill rock because of your subject matter?
Jahpan: oh yeah
i mean theres that box in prov
and if u dont fit in u dont fit in
there isnt a balance
and i feel u know u dont hafta invite us
but what other group in our state was as big as mine
movement wise
roulette??
i mean
we are guilty ourselve for potraying that image
but wtf!

Jots: it kind of reminds me of when people protested nas doing that virginia tech shooting benefit show
Jots: but hey, to each his own
Jahpan: very true

Jots: so anyway, what’s your favorite album of all time
Jahpan: its a toss up between ressurection/ready to die

Jots: if you could do a song with anyone, ever, dead or alive, who would it be?
Jahpan: awwman
um m
de la soul

Jots: good choice. Alright, so i think we can start wrappin this up
Jots: when does the album come out?
Jahpan: due date was tues aug th
but we gonna push it back late aug
for proper promo …Etc
vids also
and 1 classic album

Jots: where can people go to buy it when it comes out?
itunes amazon cd baby
glowlikethis.Com
late fall you will be able to make a purchase at the any store

Jots: any shoutouts?
Jahpan: awwman
fedd hill
blockroyal
tm
puts
and everyone in rhode island
and of course yall for taking the time out
Jots: good shit
Jots: any parting words?
Jahpan: “an album called life” …For a change r.I. Lets support huh?
lol
peace!

Visit http://www.myspace.com/jahpan1 and www.blockroyal.com for more information.

Duckdown.com has selected 13 finalists. One will be chosen to perform at the Boot Camp Clik show this Saturday, March 15th. For more details click here.

The 13 Finalists are:

1. Sneaky Pete
2. Phoeynx aka P$
3. Rocco Da Gambla aka OMG
4. Soul M
5. The Problemaddicts
6. MIC Medina
7. Durdie Furby aka Gremlyn
8. Lnphynit
9. The ExFactor
10. Theo Martins Jr.
11. Waleezy
12. FeddHill
13. MistaMista

Finalists & their supporters receive a courtesy discounted advance ticket purchased online here. Use Code: BF315

edited by Natural

Being born and raised in PROVIDEnce, I’ve come to accept certain drawbacks about this state. For example:

1. Our tap water SUCKS!! (I say that b/c there was a time the ish was on point!)
2. Springtime died in April 97’ (April Fools Day Blizzard)
3. We (RI) are the mecca of nepotism.

However, the one issue I can’t bring myself to accept is, the lack of success we’ve had establishing ourselves as a legitimate region of hip hop talent.

More often than not, I hear the same complaints from townies as well as transplants. “This state is too small”, they tell me. “There’s not enough consumers to affect sound scan numbers”, “nobody’s checking for us”, and countless other half-assed cop outs.

Fact is we have no one to blame but ourselves. Rhode Island is barely three hours away from the birthplace of hip-hop, but we may as well be on another planet. Petty jealousy and frivolous beef has choked the life from our music scene. Now don’t get me wrong, there are cats who grind quite heavy to keep the machine alive. However, the problem still seems to be the “Crab in a Barrel” Syndrome.

First off, very few 401 emcees generate a buzz outside their own hood. This is probably linked to the ongoing genocide that has wars being fought on a two-block radius. That makes it very hard to get love on your own side of town!

Also, local print and radio don’t push our local talent (college radio not withstanding). There needs to be more outlets for our artists to be seen AND heard. Polyphonic shouldn’t be our only thriving avenue of breaking new talent. Radio DJ’s don’t seek out new, hot, local talent to break b/c they fear for their jobs. Meanwhile the South (you know, the region you are “blaming” for the sub par condition of the music) is cranking out new artists almost monthly, based on that premise. You don’t hear PDP in the clubs, or Fedd Hill in the strippy. Plus, I wouldn’t mind hearing some Chachi or Starrs and Murph on more than just non profit radio.

Even the artists themselves have created a hierarchy. Wrapped trucks and low budget videos on YOUTUBE rotation have given some artists a false sense of accomplishment. They feel that these “accessories” are true marks of “heavy grinding”, and want their opinions (about the state of 401 hip hop) to be taken as gospel. I find that hard to swallow. Especially when your product is not generating enough revenue to support you and your family. So please, stay humble if your CD sales don’t pay your bills.

As it stands, DJ’s are the ONLY real earners (at the grassroots level anyway). Even producers can’t rely on selling tracks. That’s because those same cats with the jewels, trucks, and videos want beats for free!

In closing, I don’t have the answers on how to fix this “disease”. However I am open to suggestions from anyone who feels the same way. We have PLENTY of talent here. The time is now to cultivate and nurture. I’ve been listening to local artists (almost exclusively) for four years, hoping to find a common link that could be described as “the sound of RI”. That’s not to say there isn’t quality music being created. However, we all know the age of the internet is rapidly emerging. The time is now to get our ish together!!

ViniBoomBap
a.k.a
Late Model Sedan

Richie Ragz the youngest artist of Fedd Hill past away yesterday, Friday February 1st. It’s a tragedy when ever someone so young loses their life. This seems almost surreal to me, Richie had been to my old apartment many times. I have designed a lot of artwork for Fedd Hill. Just recently Pone and Richie came by my mom’s crib to meet up with me to discuss the development of their website. If there is one thing I can say about Richie is that he was always very respectful and polite. Not something I am used to when dealing with emcees. Usually emcees are always in “character”, But Richie was mature and down to earth. And even tho I didn’t know him very well, I do feel loss when I think of the fact that he has moved on.

My condolences go out to his family, friends and loved ones. Here is a mini bio about Ragz I got from his myspace page:
Even as the youngest Artist of Fedd Hill, Richie Rags has seen more than his fair share of heartache and heartbreak. The lyrical mastermind often addresses his mother both before and after her tragic death with gut-wrenching verses about loyalty, trust and sacrifice that speak to anyone who has suffered a significant loss. Rags states, “Right now Fedd Hill is the only family that I got, but that doesn’t mean that my mother can’t still be a part of my life. My mom’s dedication as a provider and friend still inspires the whole team day in and day out. Our music serves as a living will and testament to her commitment and strength of character.”

Despite his undying devotion to his mother, Richie Rags is no “mama’s boy.” The emerging rap star uses his rhymes and rhythms to teach the world about the harsh realities of life in the street as he spits the truth about his exposure to guns, drugs and alcohol abuse. Even in the face of incredible temptation Richie Rags stands firm in his pledge to avoid street vices in order to pursue a successful career as a recording artist. The rapper states, “I am surrounded by dirty money, but Fedd Hill works hard to make a legitimate business out of our passion for music. It feels good to buy nice things and to pay our bills with rap money. That’s why I take such pride in all the expensive jewelry and clothing that I wear.” Using his mother and ghetto surroundings for inspiration, Richie Rags consistently turns negative situations into positive musical applications.

Respect

Rhode Island hip hop was in full effect this past weekend. I attended two shows. While attending hip hop shows seems like a natural activity for a self proclaimed hip hop fan, the fact that I have not been “out” in over six months makes this a monumental occasion … at least for me.

This write up won’t be so much a full blown review of each event. It will be more of a bunch of mini reviews peppered with scathing criticism, bordering on slander, of the Rhode Island Hip Hop scene as a whole. So sit back. Relax. Grab a tall, ice cold glass of grape Hater-Aid and enjoy.

Friday Night (1.18.08) Monkey Business @ The AS220.

Leading up to the event, I felt that “Monkey Business” was a strange name for it. “Monkey Business” seemed like it was full of racial undertones that, in my opinion, seemed bold coming from a Caucasian emcee. On my way home from the event I realized the name fit like a glove.

Inside the venue there were a bunch of seats set up reminding me of a poetry slam. It’s always a bad sign to see chairs at a hip hop show. Hip Hop is supposed to be a live thing, not an event where people sit, drink tea, and give golf claps in between songs.

The crowd itself was decent. I am estimating 45+ at its peak. Forty five people in the AS220 looks great and makes for a good time seeing as its a small venue. Noticeable stand outs in the crowd were: Dante Inferno, Flow, Reason, Dox, DJ Save, HW, Sterby Rock, and Romen Rok.

Labeless Illtelligence rocked their set with CasUno, ESH, and Rock Solid holding down the vocal chores, DJ Al Bums providing the beats and cuts, and Storm Davis holding down the merch table. Having seen a lot of Labeless shows I think its safe to say that this was not their best performance. They rocked on the floor instead of the stage. The stage was set up for the band that was to come next, so there wasn’t much room. I was unimpressed with the sound quality. Usually the sound at the AS220 is above adequate, but tonight it felt muddy. The muddy sound did CasUno no favors. His up tempo flow comes correct if you can hear him, but the sound quality tonight was working against him. Esh was the only one to get on stage and rock. I have said it once and I will say it again, Rhode Island Hip Hop needs more ESH. Dude is really coming into his own. I think I missed Rock Solid when I went to re-up on malt bevarages. Minister Ref came and closed down the set with his unmistakable voice and classic swagger (Yes Yes Y’all. To the Beat Y’All). He did a lot of crowd interaction, “When I say …, You Say …”, which is always fun. Its a shame everyone was sitting down.

Next up was the headliner and show promoter, Sneaky Pete. Sneaky Pete rocked over a live band with his twin brother as his back up, hype man, and R&B vocals all rapped up in one. (random fact: Sneaky Pete and his brother were once known as the Double O Agents.) Their set started slow so I went out to have a smoke. When I returned, It was like I was watching a whole different band. They really hit their stride. I was nodding along and having a good time.

The highlight of the night occurred just after Sneaky Pete’s cordless mic died on him. During the process of getting a new mic, the band played on and a drunk guy from the audience grabbed a mic and began to rap Slick Rick’s “A Children’s Story”. It was classic. The best part was the drunk guy only knew the first few lines of the song … so after a long pause he would just start over from the beginning. “Once upon a time not long ago …”. Genius. Who knew Hip Hop karaoke could be so fun.

When Sneaky was done, the band turned into “Phish” and Jam Banded the night away. This was my cue to go smoke. I got an official Labeless T-Shirt (XXL since my wife is a good cook). The shirt is high quality and a must have for all RI Hip Hop supporters.

Saturday Night (1.19.08) Special Teamz @ The Living Room.

I worked till 11pm and shot over to the Living Room hoping to have not missed Ams Uno’s set. I have not seen Ams rock in forever, so a chance to see him perform was just as big a draw as seeing ED O.G live. I paid my $10 to get in. I guess being out of the scene for so long has revoked my guest list status. Arron (The Living Room manager) was on the bar so my first round of drinks was on the house. I guess some people still remember me.

Beer in hand I moved towards the stage. Second Hand Smoke, an off shoot of Spit Personalities, was on stage doing their thing. It seemed that the whole Spit Personalities crew was on stage so it could have been a Spit Personalities set for all I know. Troop Raw was on stage letting fans know he is tired of all the emcees out there bragging about all the big moves they are faking. He isn’t the type of emcee that fakes moves. He is the kind of emcee that does what he does for the love and hopes that people feel it. And if good things follow all the better. I was feeling his energy. Their set was disrupted by a few technical issues, CD Skips and what have you. All in all it was a strong set. Mic.Feen provided music while the next act set up. I must say I was impressed with his music selection.

While I wandered around trying to find places to bomb up with my new BasementFlavor.com stickers, I noticed the quality of ladies at this show had far surpassed last nights show. Actually I don’t remember their being any girls at last nights show. At the Living Room the girls were out in full force with a strong 3 to 1 guy to girl ratio (not bad for an underground rap show). I think all the girls forgot it was winter, because some chick was wear daisy dukes. (are they still called daisy dukes? edit: my wife tells me if they are not jeans then they are not Daisy Dukes. They are called “hot pants”. She also wants to know what the amount of women at a show has to do with hip hop.)

Fedd Hill was in the building! They had a very elaborate merch table set up with the one and only Jahpan holding it down. I don’t think they performed … but their presence was felt. They had a three hour photo shoot going on at their booth through out the whole event.

Kozz Won was up next. I’m not too familiar with his music, but I did my best to follow along. He rocked along side “Best Kept” (I believe his name was Best Kept). They did a good job. If Kozz Won keeps working his craft, he could be a major player in the near future. If my memory serves me right, Kozz Won used to be apart of The Get Rich Crew. I think the best thing he ever did was going solo. That name alone is reason to be shunned by serious artists. And GRC sprung up around the same time as the IMZ, and I kept getting the two confused.

Ams Uno was a no show. I did not see that coming. Esh was there on some “Storm Shadow / Snake Eyes in through the back door on some I got in for free” maneuver. I suddenly wanted my 10 dollars back.

DJ JayCeeOh was up next to get the crowd warmed up for the headliners. And what happened next almost brought a tear to my eye. It took me back several years and got me open all at the same time. He played a record. Not just any record. The perfect record for the moment. The song was unimportant. He just knew the vibe of the crowd, and was instantly able to get the audience the most hyped they had been all night. This cat was an ill DJ. He could mix. He could scratch. He was as much a part of the upcoming show as the emcees. He was a seasoned “Hip Hop DJ”. It made me miss DJ Perseus, DJ Mekalek, and DJ Dusty Frasier. It made a question form in my mind. Who is Rhode Island’s Best Hip Hop DJ? (Not of all time, just right now!) But I digress. I will leave this question for another time. Long story short: DJ JayCeeOh did the damn thing.

Special Teamz (adding a Z at the end makes it hip hop) came out and tore it down. I have never (as far as I can remember) seen ED O.G live. Back in the day, when I used to actually watch rap videos, it made me proud that an emcee from Boston was getting shine like New York emcees. “I Gotta Have It” was my joint. ED O.G is a true pioneer, yet in 2008 he is still on stage, still doing his thing, still making new music, and still touring. ED with his partners Slaine, and JaySaun rocked Providence like there was 5,000 people in the audience. These guy were pros. They had the energy and stage presence to get me vibing along even thought I didn’t know the music. A trip to Newbury Comics is in my near future.

The funniest thing was no one bothered to tell Special Teamz where they were performing. The kept yelling for the sound man to fix their mics, and turn on speakers that where off. I wanted to go on stage and tell them “Welcome to the LIVING ROOM. This is the best sound quality your gonna get.” Well it was funny to me.

All in all it was a good show. Yet I feel bad that no one turned out to see ED O.G. I figured an emcee of his caliber deserved a warmer welcome from Providence. The show at the living room had about the same amount of people as the show at the AS220 and that’s sad. Was it the promotions?

Wrap Up

I had a good weekend. I like vodka. Who knew a potato could multi task? It’s a food. It’s a drink. It can power a light bulb.
Anyone know when the next show is?