n the combat fuelled world that his Hip-Hop distinctive and memorable being the ’93 Til Infinity today, it’s a rare delight to find the model album, in 1993, which was named in the top 100 rap ‘group’ anymore. Since Run DMC’s Raising albums by the Source magazine. In that time Hip-Hop Hell sold over a million copies in 1986, the has had its fare share of chops and changes but value of Hip-Hop artists have resulted to the group remained tight as a unit, despite exploring being weighed in jeweller’s terms. Gold. individual avenues and projects. But is all this enough IPlatinum. Diamond. That coupled with the economic to keep them in the game? Can Hip-Hop artists collapse and the rise of technology, mainly the World actually retain credibility these days without bowing Wide Web make it almost a surprise when groups to the cold tyranny of numbers? Musicology sat down new and old are not only able to survive the times but with three members , , and D to do it on their own time and with poise and style. One discuss their formation, inspirations and the difficulty such group are the infamous Oakland based quartet of staying relevant in an industry, which places such

WORDS BY: SHELLEY PESTAINA SHELLEY BY: WORDS of . emphasis on the “next big thing”. Souls of Mischief are much more than just a group they are family. The lead S#1: Opio S#2: Tajai S#3 Phesto D group of the bigger Hiero collective are incredibly SHELLY: Doing things from such a young age, what at ease with themselves were both of your initial musical influences and and seem more like inspirations, and when did you decide that rapping is brothers. Whilst what you wanted to do? numerous groups in S#2 Well our families listened to a lot of the industry today seem music and appreciated music to come together only to so we just listened to a lot of fall apart shortly after Hiero good music in our has been together from homes. Like Bob before ’93. Over the years Marley, Funkadelic, they’ve created some Curtis Mayfield, trademark Marvin Gaye, Jimmy sounds Hendrix and the most list goes on. S#1: We always loved music growing up and Hip-Hop was youth RachelSouls of Kerr Mischief FEATURE

culture so it wasn’t just the music it was a lifestyle. All album was actually done in the studio. We went in of the kids in our neighbourhood were writing graffiti there for about twelve days, if I remember correctly and the music just went on with it and caught us at a and for some reason I always remember when A-plus very young age. played the 93 beat because he was going to give it SHELLY: How did the formation of Souls and to and he just threw it on at the end of the come into fruition? session because we had extra time. Whilst we were S#1: Well, we all grew up in the same neighbourhood all just chilling around we all heard it and thought pretty much within walking distance of each other “Wow we got to do something with this”. so it was pretty much the love of music that brought So that’s one of the moments that stick out in my head us together. We’ve been recording together for a and just being in there was just a great experience all (stresses) long time. around just being in the studio. SHELLY: There’ve been many albums and one of SHELLY: When Hiero formed, the most prominent being “93 till infinity” with Jive what would you say was Records, in 1993. Could you talk us through your original vision for the process behind making the the group? How did album? What was the you go about making most memorable Third Eye Vision? moment? S#1: I think we S#3: Well, that always just mixed record was made and mingled like over a very long I would do a song time because it was with or Project our first record there would do a song with were songs that were Del and those were the done maybe three to different combinations four years prior to that we did anyway. us going actually Even though going into the everybody studio. had I think that their little more than half of the

09 TURN PAGE on aSouls project orworkingona Hieroglyphics with stuff foranindividualalbumcompared toworking that yourstylesdiffer whenyou’retrying tocomeup SHELLY: well. your owntwoeyesthat thecultureisstillaliveand value butitsobviousthatnot. You can seewith he wassayingHip-Hop‘theculture’isdeadfor shock Hip-Hop isawholeculture.SoItookittomean that of peoplejustthinkHip-Hopismusic but S#3: have tobedead. Hip-Hop isdeadbutinthatcasetheindustry would think ofitfromanindustrystandpointthenmaybe thriving anddoingwellthroughouttheworld. If you more elementstoHip-Hopthanthatandthey’reall First ofallit’smorethanjustrapmusic. There are S#2: dead orartisdead. you goingtokillHip-Hop? That’s likesayingmusicis S#3: What doyouthinkoftheindustryasawhole? “Hip-Hop isDead”beingthrownaroundinthemedia? SHELLY: So that’sthehardestpart,notbeingnew. record”. “Well weknewtheyweregoingtocomewithagood last, peoplearelike records, withthenextoneevenifit’sbetterthan your nextone.Whenwe’vecomewithalotofgood with aterriblealbumandpeoplewillbeoptimisticfor weird right?Soifyou’readebutartistyoucancome do butit’sjustmoreofthesametopeople. That’s can comewithafantasticalbum,whichwealways new. Sothat’sprobablythehardestpartcauseyou really doesn’tevencount.Everybodywantswhat’s’ S#2: being consistentenough? being inthisindustryforaslongyouguyshave?Is SHELLY: was ourvisionforthat. amounts ofrecordsonmajorlabelsalreadyandthat independent labelaseveryonehadsoldprettygood our fanbasestogetherandcomeoutwithown a Hieroglyphicsrecordsowefiguredcouldpullall Hieroglyphics andthelogo.Peoplekeptaskingusfor always justonebigunit.Everyonealsoknewusas own individualthingbehindthesceneswewere Well, you’renotnewanymoresoconsistency Ithinkwhenhe[Nas]saidHip-Hopisdeada lot That’s likeamarketingplanbasically. Howare IfHipHopisdeadforyouthenleaveitalone.

So, onthetopicofwriting, howwouldyousay What areyourthoughtsonthestatement, What doyoufindtobethehardestpartof bars ifthatandcouldbethelongestrecord talk about.SoulsofMischiefisalwaysconfinedto16 way morefreedomtotalkaboutwhateverwewant chance tostepoutofthatgroupdynamicandwehave When we’redoingourownsolorecordsitgivesa the largergroupisharderitis. So there’sabalancethereyouhavetoworkwithand song shouldgoinandthatcancausesometension. there’s adifference ofopinion;likewhatdirectionthe so inthatsenseit’seasier. Howeveratthesametime it’s almostimpossibletonotcomeupwithsomething There aresomanypeoplethathavegoodideas the creativeenergyisjustflowing.It’soff therictor! you havesomanycreativepeoplearoundthat within thegroupit’sabitofgiveandtakebecause Hieroglyphics therewasagroupdynamic.Working we everreleasedanysolorecordsandevenwithin Mischief havealwaysworkedasagroupbefore more workinvolvedinit.ForalongtimeSoulsof S#1: project? Now personally Ilikejazzingmusicians andtapping and asIgot olderIdevelopedmy tasteformusic. all theartiststhatthey [Tajai andOlio]mentioned S#3: vast wealthoftalent. us topickoutanindividual artistcausethere’ssucha and usingtheword thedrum.Soit’ssohardfor we’re stillcarryingonthatsametraditionofstorytelling before thatifyou’retalkingaboutWest Africa because history ofblackmusic,thewayfromblues oreven the inspiration,it’snotonlyjustHip-Hop.It’s the whole artists. SoIthinkthatwhenpeopletalkabout what’s and we’restandingontheshouldersofallthose great “Oh that’swheretheyusedthatJamesBrown” op whenlisteningtosamplesI’dgobackandfindthat understand itbeingsoyoung)butalsothroughHip- a Iexposedthroughitgrowingup(whendidn’tquite entire historyofmusicisjustsorichthatnotonlywas S#1: The historyofblackmusicissovastandthe Wonder, CurtisMayfield,IsaacHayes,BobMarley. S#2: inspired by? SHELLY: helped alot. because wewerethatmuchseasonedandIthinkit When wecamebacktodothenewrecord,ithelped so itjustnurturesourcreativeenergymuchmore. you dobutwithasolorecordhavewholeverses WithasolorecordIthinkthere’sjustlot Mmm…PublicEnemy, ReQuiem,Kane,Stevie Imeanwhenwasyounger Iwasinspiredby What doyoulistento?artistsare Souls of Mischief FEATURE

musicians because to me they’re on a major label and when we like the musicians’ musician for the came out nobody even knew who degree of difficulty that they are we were but after that look at all able to deal with instruments. I look the people who stayed on a major to them as inspiration. label system when we came out. SHELLY: Is there anyone on your I’m not going to name any names list for collaborations (emerging but every artist from that period artists)? are all gone. They might still be S#2: We did something a group making music but you don’t really called Chosen Few so that was hear about them. Because we were pretty dope. We like to collab with independent we were forced to stay Exile or Madlib, this producer out here and market and promote named Dr Dre. out record Grass Roots THAT was SHELLY: What projects are you the key to our longevity. currently working on at the SHELLY: Can we expect to see you moment? touring in the UK any time soon? S#2: We got a new record from S#1: Definitely in the Summer. SHELLY: Phesto D its called ‘Background What would you say you’ve SOULS OF MISCHIEF - done that your most proud of? Check’. A new record from Olio FOR PROPER AIM called ‘Vultures Wisdom Vol. Π’. A S#1: I would have to say our new A-plus record called ‘Return of longevity to be here. All throughout the Good Time Charlie’. A new Pep our career when we’ve travelled Love, he’s got two albums ‘The people have shown us love and Rigmarole’ and ‘Reconstruction’. to still come back and travel I got a new album called ‘Rap internationally and have that Noir’ and we’re trying to get a new same power and energy when we Souls record done and a new remix perform makes you feel a sense of record done. accomplishment. SHELLY: What’s the place that you’ve most enjoyed performing in? Throughout Hip-Hop there Is there one that stands out more in will always be the occasional comparison with the others in terms hotshot who sells truck loads of of the level of impact the music has albums (and he or she may not on the fans? even happen to be in hip-hop S#1: Well performing in our i.e Susan Boyle) however as the hometown for me is always the Souls of Mischief have shown best just because they see us all survival in the fragmented the time. We only come out to the industry is also heavily UK once a year or every couple of dependant on the being creative, years but in our area we’re doing smart and calculating. The true like five or six shows in one year greats have shown that they and so we always get a lot of love cannot and will not be defined and a lot or response. by one album. It’s a war not a SHELLY: How important is it to you battle and the front line is fully guys that you’re not major label? supplied. Catch up and stay up Do you think that you would have to date with Souls of Mischief’s gotten anywhere near what you shortcomings via their myspace: have accomplished if you were http://www.myspace.com/ working for a major? soulsofmischief, or band S#2: Well our first record wasn’t website: http://hieroglyphics. createdevelopsite.com/

MayApril 2010 2010 MusicologyMusicology 11