Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Relic has been involved in the rap game for a number of years, representing North Carolina. With skills on the microphone as well as behind the boards, Relic takes a time out to let us know a bit more about him.
Rumor has it you're 548 years old, is that true?
Ya Fade pretty much ha-ha, I think I have been doing hip-hop since before a lot of these new producers were born. I remember *gets all nostalgic* back circa '86-'87 sitting around with my boys laughing and talking about one day being a grandparent and then we would be the ones bitching about how hip-hop sucked and "That's not hip-hop, back in MY day you had hip-hop!" and that has all come to pass ha-ha.
You formed RIP back in 1988, that's older than some people reading this, how does that make you feel?
Very true to the art form and life style, I fell in love with hip-hop back in '83 and after a very short courtship married her midnight 1-1-84 and we have been tight ever since. We played Run DMC's "Rockbox" at the wedding, I believe then it was Sucker MC's and then some Newcleus later. I was pissin off the neighbors at a young age. I do this music because I love it, if we blow up cool, if not, I'm still married.
So tell us about RIP.
Rough Intelligent Productions is my baby, RIP has gone through many changes over the years with a myriad of members and we have changed what the "P" has stood for over the years but I have always liked Rough Intelligent part, as it described what I thought the music should be. Rough, street wise, yet Intelligent not just by books but by the ability to express ones self and make smarter music instead of always just relying on thuggish rhymes all the time.
Currently RIP consists of StepChild, DJ Trouble Man and myself.
You didn't keep the original name - Rough Intelligent Posse - why not? That's awesome!
Thanks, yeah well it was like 87-88 and Posse this and Posse that was out there, plus there was a gang of us at lunch always rhyming in between classes and what not so one day me and my man Mori Gatewood aka Imperial E were sitting in the library at school and we were trying to come up with a new name, at the time so many cats were getting killed off in the hoods and what not (and would continue to over the next decade or so) that they were actually talking about brothas were for real on the endangered species list. So I wanted the RIP thing to represent music for the talented dudes we had known getting gunned down, then we just sorta went with Rough Intelligent Posse. Plus I thought we could have cool heavy metal lookin logos with that! Haha.
Later I hooked up with a DJ named Chuck Swift at the time, and he was into the early Neo-Soul and X-Clan pro-black radical groups, he drew me into that realm and I learned a SHIT LOAD of black history and a lot about the Nation of Islam and what not, last I heard Chuck is FOI still to this day. Anyway we changed it to Rough Intelligent Poets and it was more or less that, cats were Rough but Intelligent enough to express ourselves poetically. I like that one best actually , but a falling out with a later member had me just stop rhyming altogether and concentrate on the straight production aspect of it, as I wasn't running into any cats that could make beats I wanted to get on anyway. That was about '97 so I switched it to Rough Intelligent Productions.
Charlotte doesn't pop up when mentioning Hip Hop - why?
Dude people ask this all the time, the one word that comes to mind is "snakes" the next word that comes to mind is "haters". You see the last time I dared venture out to a stage it was the same thing turned different. When I was a wee lad you had to sound like you were from NYC or everybody hated you, now a days you have to sound like you are from ATL or everybody hates you. Believe it or not in the late 80's Charlotte actually had its own sound and all the groups knew each other and supported one another, it was a lot of fun, we would have competitions and there was really no more than 15 groups maximum, and we all had fun and would have big ciphers, dance crews, DJ's and all that.
THEN one day suddenly there were 40-50 groups and most of them sucked.
Now when I say sucked, I'm talking about a guy with no vocal cadence at all, just str8 monotony onstage with his little cousin and they are boring the crowd to death, yet they wanna fight with the established groups whenever they could. This, I think, is where all the hate started.
It got to be that dudes would mean mug you even if you were Whodini and be like:
"Me and my cousin can do that... They ain't all that!" Didn't matter man, BIG name acts would come through town at the coliseum and the crowds just wouldn't make much of a sound for them. Cats would be paying for tickets then stand around mean mugging at the shows!! Older heads from here know I tell the truth! Haha!
Anyway, THEN you got your peoples who figured out the formula that I had figured out long ago, but could never finance. LEAVE Charlotte, blow up, THEN come back. This is still the only way to do it. Some OTHER city has to say you are good enough then they love you here. Problem is, and some famous cats I know I hope read this:
Once you blow it would be really nice if you came back and put your city on the map by bringing up more of the vast amounts of talent we have here instead of just relishing people jockin you... Unfortunately they don't move on that, I know a very successful guy from here who moved back here and pulled a hustle and flow move on me after soliciting me for talent! Ha-ha! Shit like that makes you wanna smack a dude!
Snakes, there have always been and still are con artists out here, you have older heads playing into the dreams of these younger dudes and they just juice 'em for all they can without actually helping them, you never gonna get your career on when you got a guy filling your head up and has you playing shows tri-state but behind your back taking your royalties and separating you from your friends and support structure and taking your money assuring you that they got you and all is well only to be dumped one day, friendless, jobless and confused, this has happened to LOTS of cats I saw on the come up.
I have seen crews come and go, some with loads of talent, lots of them dead or locked up now but the snakes got theirs, and they still do.
Then there is the radio station... That's right THE radio station, only one for as far as they can block, any competition and this station buys up said competition and goes back to business as usual. Charlotte has lots of talent, but the fact is we are in a P1 radio market and it's all clear channel baby! If you ain't established mainstream you ain't getting on.
I have watched the local station pretend to help out for years but they are out for self. ATL stations have been up here literally chastising them and asking why they shit on the locals, they're not gonna change though, either you make a song about a DJ on the station and they might play you or good luck.
For some reason the DJ's and personalities here believe they are Godlike once they get on, they don't reach back that I have seen unless it benefits them personally and immediately.
Snakes man Snakes!
It wasn't until recently that we have had more than one main promoter of large shows here and THAT dude had went away for stealing 6 MIL off local artists and acts he brought here waaay back! I hear you STILL can't do jack without his approval. Ha-ha!
Fuckin Charlotte, it's amazing. I just keep my head down and work with people I know or who I am comfortable with.
Thank God for Ill so there is an outlet to sanity!
You're a DJ, MC, Producer - what else?
I'm an assassin as well but I don't rap about it.
On top of that I do personal management for everyone but me and engineer all our stuff, that's a constant learning process. If I don't do it then I probably want to know how to so I can, hard wearing all the hats though.
What's your favorite - emceeing or making beats?
I think right now making beats, it allows you to really bring an emotion out and rock to it. I loved rhyming though, been trying to dust off my Muse lately. One day the little rapper dude that was in my head that used to just spout off uncontrollably, I mean I couldn't keep the pen up with the lyrics, one day that guy left and didn't really show back up, I got his number though and we have been working again on and off.
What happens when you make a track, what do you start with first?
It really depends, it might be that I heard a sample or something I want and I will move around that, or sometimes it's the beat, I think though if you can compose your music part first you will find that your beat will fit right in and your better for it.
Do you prefer to compose or sample?
I really like both, I really do, I think I am by nature a more composing type of person, but I think that is because originally the SP1200 forced me to be. It only had 10 sec of sample memory. 10sec! Now cats have unlimited amounts to work with! Ha-ha! So with that kind of time you have to chop and dice things up in such a way that it was yours and couldn't be recognized too quickly!
What's your setup?
Right now I am all about my MPC 2500, that into windows 7 64 bit ala Pro Tools 8.0.3 through a Digi 003, some CDJ's and the mic. I am a gear packrat though and have lots of older gear including a Roland vs1824 that I am sure that ONE DAY I will have need for in a portable setting. Of course I ain't used the bitch in so long I will need the manuals again, but I used to rock that sucker so I haven't sold that or my SP (which Dahk is gonna fly down and help me repair one day!). I have a Triton rack as well, but as I just upgraded I am learning some of these virtual instruments, XPAND2 is the shit! You can never have enough varied sounds to work with.
If you ever get tired of the 2500, just give it to me, I'll put it to good use. What's your favorite part of that machine?
I like the ability to adjust the attack and delay on a sample I accidently ran across that on there.
You put a lot of work into Stepchild's album, what was that like?
It was a lot of fun and quite a learning process, I will say that even though we were using stock sounds of a Triton rack that album has a very original sound love it or hate it.
We incorporated some SP in it and it was a fun time, Troub and Step were over almost daily and having recently acquired my first home studio at the time I could wake up at 3am and put in work if I wanted... And I did. Some of those tracks, like "Child Abuse", were pulled directly from dreaming about them first. Everybody put in good work.
You've also done lots of voice work for members of IllMuzik, how did that come about?
When I first signed up cats were asking about voice tags for their beats and I knew I could do it having a family back ground in radio I figured it was a good way to get my voice out there while playing with my effects. Iceman makes me proud as he STILL uses them on every beat! 2Good still uses the cuts I sent him exactly like I was thinking they would be used. I think that's me at the beginning of Spanish Harlem's stuff too, if not he found a guy who sounds identical lol.
You're also the official voice of IllMuzik Radio, what's next for your voice talents - Hollywood!??!
Actually I have always wanted to do voice work for animation, it's something that has always seemed fun to me ever since watching Looney Toons as a kid. We used to listen to old time radio shows when my brother and I were kids and voice acting would be cool, I did some on the Child Abuse album for the skits.
Also, you've become the official IllMuzik mascot aka the creepy guy hanging around outside every thread. No question here, just thought I'd say that.
Thanks, it's your fault, when I saw I had to have 100 posts to start posting music I started making them, by doing that I started meeting people, and then I got to know them so now I chime in too much. But hey, I'm friendly! Ironically I don't say shit in person... PSYKE!
What can we expect from Relic in 2010?
I want to start actually getting my music in the hands of some different MC's and I want to start flowing over my tracks again, I put in a lot of effort for a lot of years towards others and now I gotta look at doing more of me in 2010. Im sure Step will be out with some more RIP stuff as well.
Any shout outs you'd like to give?
Shit, first and foremost the IllMuzik fam, without y'all I really wouldn't be anywhere near the level I'm at now, this place really is about HIPHOP no matter where you're from or at and it's almost Masonic in its help! Lol
Shout to Shadeed, 2Good, Iceman, Ash, Classic, Buku, Clev, Stress, Cell2Dee, Dahk, Sucio, LDB, NYSOM, St Joe, Ominous, Steez, Skid, Slik Vik, Static, Dreampolice, PGyal, StepChild, Troub, my man Breeze and Agony, KB Ent., K1, B-Strong, Marlon Tate and of course you Fade. I may be forgetting others but it's the whole site.
Cats might not realize, but I pay attention and everybody is real big influence, I have loved doing work with y'all so far and hope to continue to do so. Holla atcha boi!
