FEB ”07 Named 2006 "E-Zine of the Year" by Prysmatic Dreams M O R E IN S ID E The name says it ALL The legendary rapper speaks with Lyrics Inc. and gives good advice to Indie artists In this issue... Updates: Angela Roberts & Danielle Davis Stacey Barlow 10 Crown —Lovelines“ Poetry Contest Scott Valentine M.D.-E W inners Announced ++ mmuucchh mmoorree...... 10 Crown 10 C: Yes, each member has his own style think it would help develop an identity that and life experiences which he brings to the is unique but what do you think? table when its time to write a song. 10 C: Too many people want to follow the L.I.: How has the mainstream success cookie-cutter and get in the groove of you‘ve had in opening up for artists like what‘s happening now. The problem with those mentioned above helped you all? this is you‘re really putting a limit on what 10 C: None. We have bigger turnouts at you can achieve, and what‘s hot now may shows we headline. not be by the time you get noticed. I think that people respect your music the most L.I.: In your opinion, how have the main- when you make what you feel and put that stream artists and labels embraced indie touch of you in it. Real music lovers will music, if at all? appreciate you when they get a glimpse of 10 C: They haven‘t embraced jack where your soul by listening to your music. we come from. Big label reps don‘t come to mainstream artists‘ shows here, and the L.I.: With so many doing what you all are artists themselves won‘t fraternize with the doing, what are some long range goals for opening acts because they don‘t remember you all to stay alive in this music business? how the struggle was when they were in 10 C: Never change who we are or what our shoes. the music is about. You see it all the time, rappers one minute do this and the next L.I.: So how did everyone meet? And that. If we rap about crappy cars, just come www.10crown.com where did you get your name from? to Louisville and give me a jump because 10 C: We grew up in the same hood which it‘s real. is the 10th district. Our friends called us the The energetic hip-hop style of 10 Crown has kings of the hood, and kings wear crowns. L.I.: In the past five years, how do you feel captured the attention of listeners throughout Hence, we became 10 crown. the industry has changed? the Midwest. Originating in Louisville, KY they 10 C: The industry has changed a lot and have vied to create their own sound from influ- 10 Crown wrote and produced all of the songs in a bad way. It‘s all samples and 5 minute ences like No Limit Records, E-40, Yukmouth, in their much anticipated album, —The Tenth choruses. Everyone just wants to get rich Tech N9ne, and Dr. Dre. Most people would District—. The broad range of their songs‘ top- ripping off other people‘s creativity. What say it‘s a cross between Down South and West ics appeal to a more diverse audience than is ever happened to the songs that didn‘t Coast rap. Really, it‘s a hard-edged, up tempo, typically associated with listeners of the hip- need a hook? You know, the ones that told club-style rap. hop genre. InSub Beckley produced the under- stories! lying music from his diverse musical back- 10 Crown consists of John Pfeiffer, Kevin ground which includes electronica, rock, and L.I.: Internet and marketing: Has it made it Etherton, Matt Sturgeon, Doug Harman, Joe classical piano. This wide range of influences easier for you to promote yourself and your Roach, Eric Medley, InSub Beckley a.k.a. Mr. have made way for beats that are unique, but work or harder? Mash, KE, Contraband, M.M. Mosilini, Ndoe, are still in accordance with the mainstream 10 C: Both, the internet helps promote the Medley, and INSUB respectively. trend. shows and get the word out. And that makes us work harder. The group was originally formed in 1999 and L.I.: Tell me about —The Tenth District“. later completed by the addition of InSub Beck- 10 C: —The Tenth District“ is our debut al- L.I.: What has been the hardest part about ley and Eric Medley in 2003. Since then they bum. We tried to adhere to the commercial being such a large group? have opened for major artists such as Juve- mold, but we just couldn‘t correctly express 10 C: Just getting everybody together for nile‘s UTP and Lil‘ Scrappy and up-and- ourselves that way. So, the end result is practice. But we always throw a great show coming artists such as Bukshot, Code Red, and no matter what. somewhere in between. Our heart & soul Universal‘s KD. 10 Crown also headlined one went into all the lyrics and we believe this a L.I.: What are some things indie artists of Louisville‘s biggest bashes of 2005 accord- strong album to introduce ourselves. should know when entering this business if ing to Velocity Magazine. they are a group similar in size to you? L.I.: For InSub, having a musical back- L.I.: You all remind me of the Wu-Tang ground has obviously shaped your career, 10 C: Have a great producer and a motiva- Clan when I see so many members in your so how important is that in your opinion for tor, because it does get hard. Plus, always group. Does that add to the unique chemis- artists to look outside the box for a moment work it out like a team. try of being a band? and venture to broader sounds? I would (Con‘t on bottom of pg 2) Copyright 2001 Lyrics Inc Magazine Scott Valentine My name is Scott Valentine, I am thirty-one this period that I also developed an obses- given this glossy coating, packaged up all years old and I have been in love with music my sive affinity for some of the pioneers of rap neat and tidy and sold to us like we can‘t whole life. music who were making great waves and possibly live without it. But what are we buy- strides in the cultural landscape. ing into? Life just ain‘t always that pretty. When I was a toddler, I would accompany my father‘s guitar talents by strumming along on the L.I.: Talk to me about this: A guitar and hip- There‘s some tough mess to face and some spatula. As I grew throughout my youth I began hop really has a strong bond since the entire hard questions to answer to and I think the to notice that I had a talent for mimicry and Run DMC and Aerosmith era which more we distance ourselves from that reality voice control that eventually manifest itself into changed hip-hop. Do you think it defines - the more we try to separate our decisions original songwriting at the age of twelve with the part of your music in any way? from the consequences we create - the purchase of my first guitar. S.V.: I started to listen for hip-hop when that harder it will continue to become to do any- track hit in 1986 but when I first heard —Black thing about it. L.I.: Tell me about that moment. How did you feel when you got it, and what do you Steel In the Hour Of Chaos“ in ”88 my world They keep trying to sell us these images think that did for your drive into music? was turned on its head. Chuck D was spit- and these ideals to strive towards which, for S.V.: It was the end of summer and we‘d ting such venom but without drowning it in a growing number of people out there, look just returned from our first family trip to profanity. The subject matter that —It Takes A nothing like the images or ideals they really Europe. While we were in England, my Nation Of Millions… “ covered helped me to care about. Those tactics might have cousin showed me his amazing collection of see some issues from a completely different worked in the past and they might work for guitars and allowed me to fiddle around with perspective. So, yeah. My lyrical style does little girls and angry young men wanting to some of them. I could not stop thinking owe a great deal to those times. The ca- be tough, but for myself and for those peo- about it afterwards so when we returned dence, the delivery, and the amount of im- ple searching the web for the grassroots home and I saw this old school acoustic/ agery that some hip-hop masters could truth and beauty of music, it's just not repre- electric at a garage sale for twenty bucks, I weave within their rhymes definitely rubbed sentative anymore. off on me. just had to have it. I remember just sitting in There‘s a time and a place for bubble-gum my room, looking at this beautiful thing and Chuck D of Public Enemy was of enormous pop and party-like-it‘s-1999 dance anthems having this overwhelming sense of anticipa- influence. His charismatic strength brought but please don‘t try to sell me the idea that if tion… like I had stumbled across this en- many of the issues and struggles associated we don‘t look at a problem then it‘ll all just chanted box that was filled with magical se- with racism and inequality to the forefront of simply go away.