Wordsmith

WHO?MAG: What was your first introduction to hip-hop as a career?
Wordsmith: Ahhh man that would have to be when I lived Georgia; I believe I was 13 at the time. My father had just got stationed out there and I seemed to always get cool with the right people. Well, the guys I got cool with all rapped and beatboxed, so they pretty much made me rap because we were friends. I was always a big rap fan, I mean I use to tape Yo MTV raps whenever it came on along with saving lunch money to buy tapes. I think those guys in Georgia just woke it up in me, ya know. It was there, they just pulled the artist, the MC, the rapper out of me. By the way we went by the name “The Wizards of Bass” there’s a little fast fact for you.

WHO?MAG: What differentiates Wordsmith form other MC’s?
Wordsmith: Probably my ability to make music with no boundaries. I don’t think I can be considered a certain type of MC that does a certain type of Hip-Hop. I feel I am universal as an artist. That is no disrespect to any MC out there, that’s just my opinion of myself. I do hope when my career is all said and done I will be remembered for the music I gave the world. Other than that, I feel I am different because I represent the music of the “Golden Era” of Hip-Hop. I’m not the breed of MC you see today…my songs, my rhymes, my verses, my hooks have a meaning behind them. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t front, I do have bangers, which can be pretty straight forward, but the bulk of the music has a point. Its not just about the money, that will come, it’s about the love of the music and making great songs that are considered timeless.

WHO?MAG: You recently wrapped up the All Smoked Out Tour. How did you get down with that tour?
Wordsmith: Well, everything kinda just fell into place at the right time. I think in early October I contacted One Fry Short Productions in Magnolia, TX about sending some tracks to their radio station for some airplay. They were feeling the tracks I sent and by the end of October 05′ they were asking me to headline their first Hip-Hop show out there in November. I was just honored that a group of people had enough faith in me to come from Baltimore to Texas and rock a crowd. I mean, I’m not a household name yet, but they saw the potential, which I respect. I had really got cool with DJ Haggis & DJ Cactus of One Fry Short, so I proposed doing a tour to promote my upcoming project two weeks after the November show. They told me it was possible, that’s all I needed to know and we started contacting venues. We locked down 13 shows in a month through hard work and grinding. I got my boys Kontact and SoL to be my front men and Houston native Da Golden Child to be my opener. Again, everything fell into place, so I know God had a hand in it. It was truly an experience with extreme highs and extreme lows; I definitely have enough stories to cover this whole interview, but let’s save that for another time. Big up to DJ Cactus, DJ Haggis, Kontact, SoL tha Analyst, and Da Golden Child.

WHO?MAG: You recently dropped your latest mixtape “Statements and Stipulations”. What track on this album best represents Wordsmith?
Wordsmith: “Ode to tha Pioneers” cop the mix album to see what I mean. It is the essence of Hip-Hop and gives respect to those who really deserve it, that’s all I’m gonna say. Go to HipHopgame.com or wordsmithmusic.com for the free download. Whuts up to Strada out of Canada for producing that joint for me.

WHO?MAG: “Rockstrumentals” was an experimental album that you dropped that was very original. Can you tell us where you got the idea from?
Wordsmith: Well, I dropped a promo version of it to respectful Magazine/Websites like WHO?MAG. I just wanted to see what type of response I would get and I have to thank my brother Professa for pushing me to do the project. He stepped forward and started making beats for me when I had no producers. Naming the album was simple because it symbolized what we were doing. My brother was making these heavy metal, acoustic, bluegrass sounding beats with hard Hip-Hop basslines, while I was writing a lyrical, yet rock oriented album. I got my man D-Dub, who is a true rock fan, to add that last component of rock to it and boom we had “Rockstrumentals.” I would like to release the real version when I get a deal, that way it can be promoted the right way.

WHO?MAG: It’s really refreshing to hear some of your songs relate to storytelling, which seems to be a lost art nowadays. What inspires you to write your stories?
Wordsmith: Old school Hip-Hop… 80’s and 90’s Hip-Hop was full of storytelling. MC’s rapped about anything and weren’t afraid to be creative. That’s why I said I believe my music has no boundaries because I’m not afraid to go out side of the box and be creative. I mean, if groups like K.M.D can make a song about the peachfuzz on their chins, Hip-Hop can be whatever we choose. I always believed Hip-Hop was used to tell about a certain way of life, a certain culture, but most of all to use words to paint a picture for the listener. The only portrait we paint today is of nice cars, jewelry and Hoes. Come on man, most of the world doesn’t have any of that, so why do MC’s always talk about it. I respect the pioneers in the game and I respect how they used their mind to create hot music. So yeah, it’s the cats that got rap started that inspire me to write stories.

WHO?MAG: Being that your tour was based more in the south and the west coast, what was the major difference you experienced verses the crowds on the east coast? Wordsmith: The south crowd is all love man; they are looking for new music. Chopped and screwed music is big down there, but it’s not like they won’t go out of the south and say “so and so” from up north is hot. The only difference I would say between a southern crowd and an East coast crowd is you are more likely to run into real hip-hop heads at a show on the east coast. I’m talking about people who know who’s hot in the underground circuit and mainstream circuit. The West Coast crowd is totally different from the south and the east coast. They are all about Gangsta music and partying out there. You have to put together a show that’s up tempo out there, if you do slow drawn out tracks you will put them to sleep. You have to have some bounce and flyness to your music on the West Coast. I mean I build my show like a rollercoaster to bring the crowd up and down and I didn’t even get a response my first show out there. It was humbling, but it was more they just didn’t know how to react to my music and vice versa. I took what I learned from that show and my second one was bangin.’ My advice to any artist up and coming trying to play in Cali is keep things up-tempo so the crowd can party.

WHO?MAG: Your cousin Roc Marciano was once with Busta Rhymes Flipmode Squad. Did his place in hip-hop have any influence on where you are today?
Wordsmith: Not at all, I respect my cousin to the fullest, but he knows I want to do this on my own. If I’m gonna make it or fail in this industry I want to do it on my own terms. I never asked my cousin Roc for a hook-up or nothing because part of the process is getting out there grindin’ and putting in the work. My cousin has given me good advice about the business, but that’s about it. I’m not looking for any handouts, just opportunity to make my mark in Hip-Hop. Keep checkin’ for Roc though; he is dropping his long awaited solo joint this coming year.

WHO?MAG: In your opinion, what makes a “wordsmith”?
Wordsmith: Definitely someone who is a master of words, unique, a songwriter and most of all diverse.

WHO?MAG: What can we expect from Wordsmith in the future?
Wordsmith: Right now, my mix album, Statements & Stipulations is out. 730 dropped the project with production from Sketchman, Strada, DeMo, and Triza. I’ve started writing my next project, which I will finish and put in the crates until the time is right to release it. I’m helping my boys Kontact and SoL put together their EP for release this summer. One Fry Short Productions and I are in the process of putting together a big summer tour called “The Statements & Stipulations Special Edition Tour.” Kontact and SoL will be the openers this time, so look out for them. Other than that, the future holds the release of “Classic Material,” “Rockstrumentals,” “The Golden Era,” and “R2: Ground Zero.” You’ve heard it first here and finally I want to thank WHO?MAG for the support since day one, 730 for having faith in my project, One Fry Short for setting up my first tour, Kontact & SoL for riding the tour out with me, Da Golden Child, my girl Zory for trusting and supporting my career, my parents for supporting and listening to my music, my brother Professa for the continuous motivation to do this, Strada my main producer who knew my flavor from the get-go, Sketchman for producing S&S, DeMo for lacing me with one of the hottest beats last year, Triza, Alicia, Juanita, Black Knight, All Biz, and the whole Nu Revolution Movement. If I didn’t mention you, I apologize now…