0701IT-requiredaudio.qx 8/3/01 10:57 AM Page 120 requiredBY JOEL MARASIGAN audio > WE GOT MORE NUTS THAN PLANTERS J.ROCC PRESENTS SEX MACHINE TODAY J.Rocc of the World Famous Beat Junkies Beat Junkie Sound / BeatJunkies.com Ah yes, yet another tale of turntable wizardry by the Beat Junkies president himself—Chronic LIME GREEN heads turn. Bahamadia (A&R) and producers Avenger number one, J.Rocc. He’s the James Moka Only Shock G (Digital Underground), The Angel, A- Brown of tablism and proves that he follows in BattleAxeRecords.com Plus (Hieroglyphics), Spontaneous, Chops (The the funkiness. This mixtape is like Lay’s potato In 1995, Moka Only, alongside long-time part- Mountain Brothers), Amp Live, and others make chips; “you can’t have just one,” or better yet, ner Prevail, hooked up with another Vancouver her attempts for the spotlight seem, at the least, Pringles’ “Once you pop, you just can’t stop!” If MC, Mad Child, to form the Swollen Members very possible. Interestingly enough, for an album MTV knew anything about hip hop, it would drop crew. He split solo in the mid to late 90s, call- that has as many producers as it has tracks, it Scribble and that “Party to Go” package and pick ing Vancouver home office to his dozen or so meshes together quite seamlessly. Take it from up a Beat Junkie complete set and get the full length tapes and stacks of vinyl before Chops: “Mystic is gonna be huge!” I think so respect. The follow-up to his 1999 Live at the coming back to Battleaxe in ’99 to release Lime too—don’t sleep and peep the interview. Sex Machine, Sex Machine Today highlights Green. For this gem, he hooks up with Abstract some of the samples used in hip hop music and Rude, LMNO and Mad Child & Prevail (Swollen Required Audio: gives you a taste of how the originals to Members) to stack another chapter onto his Who was your Common’s “The Light,” Pete Rock’s “T.R.O.Y.,” discography. Moka’s funky-vibed, piano-heavy “discoverer”? and Ghostface’s “Cherchez le Ghost” sounded loops and melodic hooks hint to a laid-back, Mystic: I guess I before they were jacked. The one thing you’ll like jazzy-type delivery and sound for most of the was discovered by about J is his musician’s sense of respect for the project (“Rolling Along,” “Invisible,” “August Jamalski, when he originals and his touch for cutting them up with Asphalt,” and “Been There”) but his cadence was down with BDP. the signature Beat Junkie style—just enough switches up and flips into an attack-mode on We met at a show and I shared my poetry with without killing them. Get on the good foot. “Formula Fresh” and “Crunch.” I have a feeling him. He thought I would be a dope artist, so I that this summer will embrace laid-back and tried it and the rest is a done deal. But along the INFECTIOUS “chill-to-this” type of music; if so, Moka Only way different people have helped in other ways. JigMastas has his arms spread to give you a hug for sum- Sway and Tech (of the syndicated hip hop radio Landspeed Records mer—but with the amount of material he’s got, program “The Wake Up Show”) put me on the You’ll notice right from the beginning that this I couldn’t tell you how long that hug will be. B.U.M.S. album. Shock G and The Angel got me album has some dope-ass beats. That would be to sing and do spoken word; as well, Shock took the “soul” that Dj Spinna says commercial hip me out on the road to tour with Digital hop lacks. He’s rubbed elbows, produced and CUTS FOR LUCK, Underground. So many people have blessed me remixed stars like De La Soul, Mary J Blige, SCARS FOR FREEDOM with knowledge and I give thanks! Eminem, Mos Def and Les Nubians. On this Mystic RA: Since you are such a new name to hip hop, one, DJ Spinna lays down beats, chimes in with GoodvibeMusic.com I had to compare you to someone to describe his soulful jazzy feel for Krimunul and shows Mystic is what Sade would sound like if she your style. I’d say that you are what Sade would how being in music for 10 years pays off. could rap. The same depth of passion and sound like if she could rap. How close was I? Krimunul plays along with Spinna’s ear-candy emotion is collected and mixed with street to M: I guess I’ll be new to a lot of people, but I production by treating his vocals as an instru- contribute to that “cool-out-and-think” feeling. have truly been paying my dues forever and ment—incorporating interesting and hypnotic Yet another dope artist hailing from the Bay have appeared on numerous other projects. I cadences and topping it off with some of his Area, Mystic adds more spice to the album by have appeared with Suga T, The Mossie, Paris, own mind-candy. Guest appearances by Sadat singing (and singing well!) five of her 18 poet- The Conscious Daughters, Souls of Mischief, X of Brand Nubian, Apani B-Fly, Vernon Reid of ic cuts—peep out the sure winners: “The Life,” 3x Crazy, Knum (of the Luniz) and Clee, The Living Color and Angela Johnson of Jazzy-Soul “Forever and a Day,” “You Say, I Say,” Bluenote Remix Project, and The Rules of the group Cooly’s Hot Box help to make it even “OK…Alright,” and “Destiny Complete.” Game compilation to name some. I in no way more, well, infectious. Sometimes it’s good to If she’s aiming to be the West Coast’s Mary J. take offense to your comparison—that’s a have something others can catch. Blige or Lauren Hill, her entourage will make pretty fly one. I love Sade and hope that my 120.2NR.07.01.WWW.IMPORTTUNER.COM 0701IT-requiredaudio.qx 8/3/01 10:57 AM Page 121 > COOLER THAN ESKIMO SHIT music has the depth, clarity and honesty that I was younger. I would also like to do some she gives hers. speaking with youth. Whatever comes my way, RA: You have a voice that sounds trained I’ll be open and appreciative. At some point I and seasoned, but at the same time, raw. want to produce and manage. One day I’ll def- Where does that talent come from? initely put some work in on the business side. M: I actually was rhyming before I was RA: Imagine yourself creating a “Mystic Tour.” singing—rhyming for about 11 years, What would be your perfect tour lineup? singing since 1996. I don’t have any vocal M: Mos Def, Outkast, Slum Village, training, I just try to reach into my soul and Bahamadia, Planet Asia, Phil Tha Agony and express the emotion behind the vision. Zion I. I don’t know, I could do it so many RA: How much work does it take to fit togeth- ways. I really just want to be out with posi- er an album with so many producers? You’ve tive, progressive artists. No drama! got Shock G, A-Plus, Spontaneous and RA: If you had to make an album outside of Chops. How do you get all of them to give you hip hop, what type of album would it be? the sound you want? M: That’s a hard thought—maybe some M: Putting together this album was fairly Drum ’n Bass or Trip Hop. I wish I could sing easy in terms of production. I had the vision in Spanish; I’d make a straight Latin album. and concept for the album before I had a RA: What would you like to let the people deal, so I knew the vibe I was looking for. I who are about to buy your album know would listen to beats and they struck me— before they go out and pick it up? then we collaborated. I was already good M: I’d like for people to know my album is a friends with a lot of the producers—and all very personal and honest album. The world the producers were beautiful to work with. I is a cold place and I hope that my music can heard so many banging beats, but if it didn’t bring people some peace. go with my concept [of what I envisioned for the music], I had to pass. MISSION: ONE RA: I see a Shock G connection from Digital Mission: Underground’s Who Got The Gravy album Insiduous.com / Missionhip-hop.com when you played the DU Goddess. How did that happen? M: I wanted to work with Shock forever. We hooked up through Tyranny, but I was already cool with Money B, Clee and Dotrix. The first time, Shock and I collaborated on a Billie Holiday song called “Gloomy Sunday” for the soundtrack to The Funeral. That was the first time I ever sang. Time passed and DU became less like a crew and more like a family. I got to Mission:’s album release party @ the Gabah in L.A. go out and tour with DU for the better part of Mission:, a live hip hop band from the Bay a year and Shock set me up lovely. He’s one of Area by way of Boston’s Berklee College of the most pure artists I know.