We recently spoke to Cadence, who is the other half of Raw Produce. His album is hot and Cadence spoke to us about a lot of interesting ish. EXCLUSIVE!

First I want to congratulate you on this album. We are heavily impressed with it. You got talent man! How has the album been doing?

Thanks man. So far it’s been doing well. The fact that you guys are talking to me at all is a testament to the fact that it’s getting love world wide. 

How did you hook up with Day By Day Ent? 

I was put on to Day By Day by Peter Agoston of Female Fun Music. I had a few solo songs done and I was looking for a way to get a few of them out, just to test the waters and see if anyone would be interested in what I was doing. I had heard that they were working on a compilation, so I hit them up to see if they would be interested in using one of my songs. As it turned out, they liked the material a lot and asked to hear more and before too long they offered me the opportunity to make the album.

What I like about the album is that you do something very important, and that is you get the deejay on the tracks. Who does the cutting on the album? 

To paraphrase DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince: I’m the DJ, I’m the rapper. I’m also the producer. I have a few guests along for the ride, but it’s really a true solo album, in that most of what you hear on the album, from the lyrics, to the beats to the cuts, even the recording and mixing, was done by me.

I see you have an appreciation for samples. Are you a crate digger and if so how many records you got?

Yeah, I’ve been digging for a long time. I don’t really know how many records I have in total. I usually say it’s around 6000, but that’s just a guess. But, it’s enough that I’m a little worried about the day they fall through my floor into my basement. 

How do you put your tracks together?

Djing was my first love in hip hop. It’s funny, because now I think of it as my weakest link as far as skills, but I think that when I started out, my strength as a DJ was that I thought like a producer. I tend to listen to music in layers. I notice all the components of a song, so sometimes things just strike me and I’ll say “those sounds belong together.” But some of it is trial and error too. I’ll get a beat going and build up on top of it. I usually make it as hectic as possible and then strip the layers away until it sound how I want it to. 

On the track “Always”, where does that sample come from? I just can’t put my finger on it.

It might be from an old Country and Western record. Unless you’re trying to sue me for sample clearance, in which case, it’s not a sample at all, it’s just me singing.

On this album you really offer substance in your lyrics. Every track you saying something important. You not just babbling on about this or that. I can listen to your album and learn from it. thanks for that.

Thanks for saying that. I’ve always tried to say something in my lyrics. I don’t mean that every song has to have a message, but I also feel like making music gives me an opportunity to put my perspective on wax. I don’t want to waste that opportunity by making generic music. 

On “What I Do” I can’t stop listening to that. First you really came off correct with that jazzy sample. Secondly your rhymes are dope. Thirdly the cutting the chorus is beautiful. What was your favourite track on this album?

“What I Do” is the first solo song I did. When I did that song I was really just trying to learn some new equipment. I’m also a member of a group (Raw Produce) and everything I’d done up to that point had been a collaboration, so even though I’d always produced, rhymed and Djed, that was the first time I was the only person in the mix.

As for my favorites on the album, it changes depending on when you ask, but right now I’d say “Intellectual Property” or “The Odds.” Ask tomorrow though and you’ll get a different answer.

On the track “W” you touch on some real issues where you basically dissed your current government. How do you feel about George Bush?

I wrote that song after the election. I did it to vent my frustration at the way George W. Bush ignored the will of the voters and used family connections to manipulate the outcome of the vote. I wrote it before the September 11th attacks and before all this talk of war and even back then I felt like we were in a bad situation. A lot of the issues I mention in the song, the weak economy, hostility toward Iraq, the baseball team he used to own losing frequently, have only gotten worse.

Crikey Moses on that last track I like it how the beat changes on the second verse, and then you bring in the sample again. Damn! So what tracks are you liking the most to perform live?

The final song on the album, “I Am Myself,” is actually a remix of a song I did with my group Raw Produce. It features an incredible verse from Mr. Lif. I’ve performed my part of it live many times, but only once or twice with Mr. Lif. it’s always a pleasure to be on stage with him.

So are you only involved in the emceeing aspect of hip hop?

I gave B-Boying a shot when I was 12, but I didn’t have it. I can admit that now. And my graff skills are non-existent, even though I wish that wasn’t the case, so I confine it to the music, but when it comes to music, I do a little bit of everything. 

What producers and emcee are you appreciating out there?

I’m a little bit of a purist when it comes to hip hop. I grew up with classic stuff. Mcs like Melle Mel, Big Daddy Kane, Lakim Shabazz, I like a lot of music from that era. And producers like Mantronik, Prince Paul, 45 King, Marley Marl. That stuff, right on through to De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, Main Source, DITC, Pete Rock and CL that’s the stuff that got me hooked in.

A few people I’m feeling now include Yesh and Wee Bee Foolish, Asheru and Blue Black (Unspoken Heard), J-Live and I really like the music coming out of Day By Day, the label I’m on. MF Grimm, Count Bass D, Prophetix, etc. 

In terms of touring how far have you been and would you ever consider doing a few shows in South Africa? 

I wish I was able to make a living off of music. I’ve had some nice successes over the years, but most of that doesn’t translate into financial rewards, so I still work full time to make ends meet. Unfortunately that means I don’t get to tour with my music. I have traveled a small amount with it, but never too far from home. I’ve gotten so much support from people all over the world that I’d love to have the chance tour and bring the music to the people. I would love to come to South Africa if the opportunity arose.

So how did you get involved with hip hop? What started it all off?

The real hook for me was hearing GrandMixer D.ST., the DJ on Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit.” I had heard some hip hop before that, but that song is what launched my interest. I was probably 12 years old and I wanted to be a DJ. I managed to get my Mom to buy me a radio shack mixer. It didn’t even have a cross fader on it. I got two old belt drive turntables and I was on my way.

I was mostly doing it for fun. I got to know a DJ named Jesse Jess, who was a local celebrity in my area for his skills on the wheels. He eventually went out on tour with as MC Shan’s DJ while Marley Marl was doing radio work in NY. Jesse was the first person who really made me think about doing something more serious with my interest in hip hop. He really inspired me to keep a it. Unfortunately he was killed in 1990, so the world never really got to see what he had to offer, but I really believe he would have been a major player in hip hop had he lived. 

As for me, I made tapes for myself and friends and when I went to college I started doing radio and live DJ gigs, mostly house parties and school dances. Eventually I started “producing” for a friend. I didn’t have any equipment to speak of, but we did a few songs with what we had and we got invited to perform at a party with another friend of ours, Mike Ladd (now known for his solo work and his work with Company Flow, the Infesticons, Majesticons, etc). At the rehearsal for the show I met Pitch (the other half of Raw Produce) and we started producing stuff together. We all combined together to form a group called the Coalition, which was really my first time seriously pursuing hip hop. Raw Produce kind of grew out of the Coalition over time. We released our first single (“Cycles” b/w “Make a Mark”) in 1995 and since then we’ve released 3 more singles and an EP as group, in addition to my solo album. 

What artists would you still like to work with? 

There are so many, but if I had to choose one I’d probably say De La Soul. I think we could really put some good music together.

What are your favourite foods and drinks? 

I like spicy foods. Mexican, Indian, anything with a lot of flavor. But I don’t have expensive tastes really, so I’m easy to please. 

Besides hip hop, what else are you interested in?

I love all kind of music. Especially Jazz and Soul. In addition to collecting the records, I like to go see live shows whenever I can. Beyond that, I stay so busy between working and making music that I just like to take time to be with friends and family. What we do isn’t even important to me really. 

What’s next on the menu for Cadence/Raw Produce?

We’ve been trying to release the debut Raw Produce album “The Feeling of Now” for a long time now. It should have been out long before my solo album, but we’ve had some bad luck along that way that has kept it from happening. We’re expecting it to come out this spring on Female Fun Music. It’s long overdue, but I’m very proud of the album. I hope people will feel that it was worth the wait.

I’m also mid way through producing a compilation for Day By Day Entertainment. The album will be produced entirely by me and will feature lyrics from a bunch of talented Mcs. Some better known names and some up and comers. I’ll drop a few verses on there, but it will mostly showcase my production and a bunch of talented MCs

I’ve also been producing a lot for other artists who have records coming out over the next few months. Look for Cadence beats on records by Quite Nyce , Shorty Raw, OUO/Zimbabwe Legit, Shed Light, Lord Cyrus and a few others. it’s been fun producing for other people and I’m hoping top do more of it after these next few albums drop.

Raw Produce hit so many delays in getting material out that it was sometimes hard to keep up momentum with our music. I’m trying to make up for lost time this year by releasing as much music as possible.

Thanks for speaking to us down here in South Africa. Any last words or shout outs?

Thanks for the support! In the last few years there have been a lot of circumstances that have stood in the way of doing what I wanted to do in music, so it’s incredible to see the music reaching out to people on other continents.

I have to send shouts to my wife Susanna, who could’ve chosen to marry someone who wasn’t trying to make it in such a crazy business. Pitch: This is the year of Raw Pro! Day By Day for releasing the album, Peter Agoston and Female Fun Music. All the artists who have been contributing their time and energy to the projects I’m working on. And to everyone who is making, or supporting creative intelligent hip hop.

And last but not least to Africa’s Gateway for helping to spread the word and to everyone in South Africa who’s checking for real hip-hop. It’s not all materialism and gun talk.

www.rawproduce.com

www.daybydayent.com

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