Interview With Mars ILL

28 January 2003 No Comment

Check out this exclusive interview conducted by our Port Elizabeth correspondent Rushay. In this interview Manchild talks about touring, their upcoming album and the possibility of them coming out to South Africa. Mars Ill gave us the ultra dope album Raw Material last year so peep this exclusive interview.

LISTEN TO MARS ILL GIVING AFRICASGATEWAY A SHOUT OUT [MP3]
Note: Right Click and Choose Save As to listen to this shoutout!

Whats been up with the Mars Ill cats?

Staying busy, doing shows, making songs. My wifey and Dust’s as well are expecting babies in February, so life is good.

How would you catagorize your sound as cos I know you guys are on like a religious tip? (I have to admit I went damn can “gospel rap” be this tight)

Dust and I are both Christians, yes, but no, we don’t make ‘gospel rap.’ I’d call our sound slapyouinthefaceandbreakyourfallmusic.

So how did you and Dust hook up?

We met in ’98 at a hiphop convention in Florida.

Man you been telling me you wanna come out to South Africa and do some shows what you heard of South Africa?

Dust has actually been there twice and swears that Cape Town is the most beautiful place on the planet. I just want to witness it for myself. And to be able to experience the music that his happening there would be nice as well. Give and experience.

Raw material tight album I heard it at my friend Milkdaddy I’m still waiting for my vinyl copy to come, how was it putting that album together?

Man, we were so broke. It was just cashing in on every possible favor to get the album finished. It put us on the map, so I can’t complain.

I know that album got re-released on Uprok Records what year was it actually released the first time?

Early 2000.

Whats it like for you doing shows with other cats that don’t share the same views as you or are you open minded to that?

It’s all love. We’ve done shows with a ton of people we respect artistically. Some that we share views and beliefs with and others that we don’t. That we get to stand on stage and express what’s on our minds and hearts, it’s a beautiful thing.

What other artist from the ATL did you hook up with I know Lil Sci and Prophetix is from there do you know them cats?

Yeah, we know Sci, Prophetix, Mass Influ, Binkis Recs, Minamina Goodsong, Dres the Beatnik, everyone. It’s a nice community to be involved with.

As far as touring goes are you guys going to be traveling alot this year?

Yeah, we generally do around 100 dates a year.

What does the new year hold in for Mars Ill any new album in the pipeline?

Yes, the new album is called ‘Backbreakanomics’ and should release in August of this year

Hip hop is so universal right now any final words for people that visits africasgateway.com?

Yes, we’re coming to South Africa, maybe not today or tomorrow or the next day, but one day you’ll be walking down the street and someone will tap you on the shoulder and it will be me. Don’t be afraid, I only want to show you our music. Peace and respect.

“FM Radio is DOA, B, It’s plain to See
It’s NSYNC and LFO instead of NKOTB
It’s all the same, Cc: an A&R ASAP
And tell him MTV really ain’t the place to be
See I did some R and D while most were high on THC
and caught a vision in the form of RUN-DMC and BDP
Because KRS was the One before VH could get in line
Behind the music, but today it’s the music that’s behind
I find T&A, on NBC without a question
So I tune in to PBS to try to teach my child a lesson
Cats run weapons, from route 66 to the BQE
I push my beliefs over beats in encoded mp3’s
I praiseG-O-D for the O2 I get to breathe
And for the way He reads my heart and my mind like ESP
You communicate collectively but you’re still all alone
your world minus the most high is monotone.”