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Oddjobs – The Interview – By Rush

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26 June 2003 No Comment

Hey guys finally we lace down something trying to bridge the gap between the African and American hip hop, cos cross cultural interactivity is needed for each other to know about the next one. What’s up introduce Oddjobs to 
the South African people?

Adam: Oddjobs wants to come to South Africa. Period. That’s all you need to know about us. Someone bring us now.

Crecent moon: Hello, my name is Crescent Moon, but the FBI calls me Alexei.

Where are you guys based and how long you been doing stuff together as a crew?

Adam: We are currently based on the road. We will be living there for the next few years, until our beerbellies develop to the point where it simply is no longer safe to drive around the country (because the flab from our stomachs may interfere with the steering wheel).

Crecent moon: Oddjobs is currently based in Brooklyn, NY. We all hail from Minneapolis and St.Paul, Minnesota, also known as the Twin Cities. I met Advize at local hip hop shows around ’95-’96, and we started hanging out and rapping together. I met the rest of the crew through mutual friends in highschool and formed a hip hop collective called Cases of Mistaken Identities Crew, around the same time.

American people ain’t trying to hear other hip hop shit that’s not coming from America ever heard any hip hop coming from Africa?

Adam: Never heard any South African hip-hop besides Cashless society. But I have recently become a huge fan of South African music in general. From the jazz of Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masakela, Dollar Brand, and Kippie Moeketsi to the more funky stuff like Harari and Dick Khosa. Of course all the isiscathamiya stuff as well…it’s all great stuff.

Crecent moon:Well my home girl Jean Grae is an MC and she’s from Africa, but that’s about as close as it gets for me.

The Dj seems to be playing a pivotal role in your lineup how important is the Dj for you in the whole hip hop culture?

Adam: Our DJs make all our beats, so without them we’re fucked. As far as the whole hip-hop culture goes? Shit, who would be playing the records if it weren’t for the DJs?

Crecent moon: I recognize the DJ as being the backbone and founder of the beats that MCs rap over and B-boys break to, so I think Djing was the revolutionary turning point which isolated the break beat, thus spawning hip hop

Give us some of the cats you guys collaborated with, didn’t you do a track with Sage Francis if I’m correct or was it Slug?

Adam: Sage we have known for a very long time. Slug for even longer. One of them gets very drunk often. The other one does not.

Crecent moon: We convinced Slug to be on our first album, but i’m sure he did it out of charity, because he was on a completely other level than us. On the same track we got New MC from Kanser Troop, which was also an honor because Kanser were the first cats that recorded Oddjobs, and the first crew to work with us. The third MC on this posse cut was Carnage, a local lyrical hurricane that many still sleep on.

Being a crew that’s not on a major label can you give me some of the difficulties that’s faces you and countless other groups?

Adam: Being broke ain’t no joke…Also just having the market being so saturated right now. It’s like, with a million hip-hop groups out there, why the fuck should anyone take a chance on us? I know I wouldn’t. It’s simply some supply and demand shit. People aren’t hungry like they were when people like Company Flow, Juggaknots, and J-Live were breaking into the scene.

Crecent Moon: Well, basically, we’re broke as fuck. That’s the main distinction between being on a major label and and indepedent label. But we’re clever and resourceful so we always find a way to make it work

So you rolling with CMI productions how many groups on that and how long have you been signed to it?

Adam:  CMI is just Oddjobs right now. In an ideal world, we would have our own pressing and distribution deal, but we don’t. If we did, you would see groups of all genres on the label. We are friends with a lot of talented cats who need exposure.

Crecent moon: I believe we decided to create CMI productions when we moved to NYC and joined 3rd Earth. We just gave a name to an entity that was already there. CMI coming from the name of our O.G. crew which spawned Oddjobs

Lets talk about your releases you on the verge of dropping a E.P what’s it called and when can we expect it to drop?

Adam: The Shopkeeper’s Wife. That’s the name of it. It is our best project to date, and it is in stores now.

Crecent moon: The new EP is called “The Shopkeeper’s Wife” and it dropped April 8th in stereo near you.

What do you think the future holds for Oddjobs if we can play God on that one?

Adam: The future is up in the air. One thing I can guarantee is that each project will be better than the last one.

Crecent moon: I see us owning an ostrich ranch in the South West and about 40 pounds overweight.

At this moment I don’t think we can expect to find any of your music in our music stores out here so can we tell the peeps out here download that shit?

Adam: If you can’t find it in stores, please hit up www.carolinedist.com for distribution.

Crecent moon: Peep the website: www.cmiproductions.com

Thanks to all the guys in the group for making this interview happen any final shouts?

Adam: Shouts to Rushay, my mom, and my dad

Crecent moon: Peace to Doomtree, Rhymesayers, & R.I.P Sess and Grandma Mars

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