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ISWHAT?! brings jazz hip-hop with bite
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The Cincinnati-based combo ISWHAT?! combines hip-hop and jazz in a lean, mean and politically potent...The Cincinnati-based combo ISWHAT?! combines hip-hop and jazz in a lean, mean and politically potent mix that doles out as many inspiring aphorisms as angry rants. On their latest record, last year’s The Life We Chose, core members — rapper Napoleon Maddox and saxophonist Jack Walker — are joined by upright bass, drum machines, Maddox’s beat-boxing and various electronic touches to create “organized arrangements that contained both hip-hop and improvised music,” as Maddox describes it, “. . . with a little more bite to it than a lot of the so-called jazz-hip-hop that we had been hearing so far.”
Bite it’s got. “Profane words don’t burn like the truth/ I get a grip on reality, then I relay the news,” Maddox raps on “Front”; “The hood is self-hating . . . Blow up then bottom out/ You know what I mean,” he says on “Circus,” a scathing take on mainstream hip-hop. “Cocaine business controls America,” he raps on “Ill Biz” — “Ganja business controls America/ Illegal business controls America/ ’Cause George Bush controls America.” (Maddox hastens to add that the song refers to George H.W. Bush, father of the current president.)
All the while, Walker blows memorable hooks to help the medicine go down.
The connection between hip-hop and jazz is threefold, Maddox says — there’s the tradition of improvisation and the ability to absorb different musical forms. But “it’s not only musical . . . it’s a social connection,” Maddox says. “Both hip-hop and jazz are music that came from the youth generation of African-Americans that’s been shared with other people . . . and has done a lot to connect different communities. . . .
“Both musics were more or less villainized by the mainstream media, but after a while the practitioners kept . . . developing the music until people could see ” that ‘This is something to be reckoned with.’
On the title track, Maddox shouts out equally to the hood and to the society that enables it. “So you a boxer with a broken nose/ Hands up! This is the life we chose.” And that call to responsibility is central to Maddox’s aesthetic.
“One of the things that I hear a lot of over the years is, ‘hip-hop is gonna do this’ or ‘hip-hop is gonna do that.’ . . . And I think it’s important for us to remember that hip-hop, or jazz, can’t do anything that the people aren’t doing. . . .
“Hip-hop doesn’t have any hands or voice or body without the body and the voice of the people. And people have to take responsibility for the shape and condition of hip-hop; people have to take responsibility for the shape and condition of our lives.”
It doesn’t escape Maddox’s attention that the shallow, negative portrayals of African-American life in mainstream hip-hop (which he calls “big business pimping the hood”) are at platinum-selling status. It also doesn’t escape his notice that it’s largely because white people are buying the music. “Because of capitalism and racism . . . of course the images of negative hip-hop have gotten a boost, because it’s what certain people want to hear and want to see. . . . But if the negative music isn’t supported and bought and sold, no matter how much it’s pushed, it can’t succeed.”
The responsibility cuts both ways, he says — to artists and audience.
“I think the artists hear that all the time: ‘You have to be responsible.’ . . . That statement has lost its teeth and conviction, because the artists who are making meaningful music don’t get support.” On the other hand, “It’s like a twisted novel. In some way the public is being held responsible, because the monsters that we help create by supporting certain things, we have to live with those monsters. And the music will either continue to deteriorate, or it’ll grow in a different direction. Or there will be a revolutionary response to such debased creations. . . . But hopefully the public will see.”
Maddox says it’s hard to tell whether his messages are catching on, since most people coming to the group’s shows are already inclined to agree with the point. But if he’s preaching to the choir, “The choir’s growing because people see that the church service is more important. . . . The Roots made a really strong album, and a growing number of artists are saying things, and it’s harder and harder to stay asleep. You have to choose a side.”
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show review
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ISWHAT?! with Hamid Drake at The Dame: How often do you get to experience a genre-breaking band twic...ISWHAT?! with Hamid Drake at The Dame: How often do you get to experience a genre-breaking band twice within a month's time with two different lineups? Chalk that up as a perk of having the jazz/funk/hip-hop brigade ISWHAT?! as a Cincinnati neighbor. Three weeks ago, the band played Charles Mingus compositions and sampled beats with New York bassist Joe Fonda at The Icehouse. This time, drummer Drake -- who has performed in Lexington with such free jazz pioneers as Peter Brotzmann, William Parker and Roy Campbell -- sat in with a beefed-up horn section that had ISWHAT? mainstay Jack Walker blending alto sax and flute with Cincinnati tenor sax man Eddie Bayard. This might have seemed a more rudimentary journey for Drake, who was content to lock into rock steady grooves behind beatboxer/rapper Napoleon Maddox. A more expansive view of his percussive vocabulary was on display during a 20-minute opening set in which he designed Eastern and improvisatory rhythms as accompaniment for a dance by Mecca co-founder Teresa Tomb. But Drake also helped ISWHAT?! through a crisp shift in group dynamics. While he added calypso flavor to Casket and a rugged reggae groove to Cool Hands, much of the set reflected a more instinctual, jam-friendly feel. Walker and Bayard punctuated long instrumental sections that had the horn savvy of a vintage soul band while Maddox's physical beatboxing kept this joyous music on the move.
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ISWHAT?! TLWC review
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by John Book
It was Nice & Smooth who once talked about combining the old and the new, and one of...by John Book
It was Nice & Smooth who once talked about combining the old and the new, and one of the endearing things (if any) about hip-hop music is that it used to acknowledge the old in the hopes of creating something new. These days it’s more “every man for himself” and admitting you want to be revolutionary, when actions truly speak louder than words.
The Life We Chose is not only those actions, but reactions to what has come and gone in the music. ISWHAT?! are a project consisting of Napoleon Maddox on rhymes and jazz musician Jack Walker. Together with other musicians and DJ’s in the studio they’ve created something that is on the adventurous and dare I say daring side of hip-hop, not unlike some of DJ Spooky’s projects in the past. There’s a jazzy vibe throughout the songs courtesy of Walker, who throws out hints of John Coltrane, Led Zeppelin, and Pharoah Sanders in his sax playing. Napoleon is one of those guys who writes and rhymes with intellect, being careful and select with his words and precise in his flows, bringing into mind such sages as Black Thought, Mos Def, and Phonte.
The title of the album explains things briefly, as these songs are in the hip-hop key of life, exploring personal and world problems, social equality, the state of the world, and the unpredictable world of the music industry. For those who miss a time when jazz and hip-hop were joined at the hip, this revives that feeling that has never really left, it just found a nice home in some out of the way venue in an obscure funky alley somewhere.
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"THE LIFE WE CHOSE" Review
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by Marisa Brown
Although Iswhat?! are technically a hip-hop group, their style, and really, their...by Marisa Brown
Although Iswhat?! are technically a hip-hop group, their style, and really, their overall vibe and appeal are much more closely rooted to the bop and free jazz tradition than they are to the South Bronx. "A Mingus-type tune for Jurassic Monk blues," MC, producer, and beatboxer Napoleon rhymes in "Profiles" over a line from Coltrane's "Giant Steps" and featuring drums from Hamid Drake. Napoleon uses his words as much for their rhythmic qualities as he does for their meaning, employing a slam poetry-esque technique in telling stories and criticizing the government. There is somewhat of a political agenda on The Life We Chose, but it's more social consciousness than conspiracy theory. This of course means that Iswhat?! run the risk of becoming overly theatrical, but Napoleon's rhymes are intelligent and provocative enough, rarely blaming individuals (an exception being George Bush in "Ill Biz") but focusing instead on situations, to prevent that from happening. So while the two minutes of a wailing mother over her murdered son on "Circus" may be rather dramatic, it's hard to argue that it's not also powerful and affecting. Where Iswhat?! really stand out, however, is in their music. Most of the songs use Jac Walker's sax (generally tenor), a bass, and some kind of beat, be it live, electronic, or beatboxed by Napoleon, a skill he shows off especially well on the two fantastic live cuts, "Kashmir" and "Pilgrimage," the latter of which is, along with "Mooch," solely instrumental. "Casket" is swinging and organic, and yet smoothly blends in synthesized elements thanks to Ming + FS' production, creating something spontaneous but polished at the same time. The only spot on which they falter is in the techno-influenced "Front," which, while not bad per se, contrasts dissonantly with the rest of the songs on the album, because what really separates Iswhat?! at their best from other hip-hop groups is their dedication to jazz — the horn solos, the loping bass — and their energy and professionalism. When these are all allowed to really come through, Iswhat?! are as exciting and innovative as anything else out there.
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Record REVIEW
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Review:
Every artistic genre, in order to survive over a long period of time, needs to be dynamic....Review:
Every artistic genre, in order to survive over a long period of time, needs to be dynamic. In the case of hip-hop music, the ability to change with the times, and perhaps just as important to be a force powerful enough to change the times is essential to avoid the type of musical stagnation that we as a culture have been in danger of seeing for quite some time now. With record companies who all too often push for a certain formula for their official album releases, it is always refreshing when an artist or a group come along and tries something new. In the case of Iswhat?!, a progressive and little known hip-hop/jazz duet out of Cincinnati, Ohio, we have a group who not only has a style that is unique in and of itself, but who is not afraid to push the limits of contemporary hip-hop to places where it hasn’t gone too often in the past. With their second official release, The Life We Chose slated for release this August, Iswhat?! is attempting to continue building the momentum that they hope will carry their message to the masses.
I have to admit right off the bat that this album was probably the most difficult album that I have had to grade since I started writing reviews a little over a year ago. I found myself going back and forth, back and forth between how I would compare The Life We Chose to other contemporary and more industry typical (even the underground shit can be very similar in sound) hip-hop albums that have dropped over the past few months. How could I possibly rate this album in comparison to stuff that really sounds vastly different from the style that Iswhat?! brings to the table? This lead me to the near decision of not even doing an album review, but instead, to do a spotlight on the artist, thus saving myself the agony of having to make a decision on a final rating. Ultimately, however, by debating back and forth with myself, I essentially answered my own question. There is no comparing The Life We Chose to the other albums that I have reviewed, because the type of hip-hop music that I am used to reviewing is so different from what Iswhat?! brings to the table on a majority of their tracks, that it would be unfair to them if I tried to grade their album against other artists based on a purely hip-hop standpoint. Instead, I decided to break from The Blueprint and grade this album purely from a musical standpoint with no stereotypes on my part as to what a hip-hop album should sound like, etc.
For those of you who aren’t aware, as I’m sure many of you aren’t, Iswhat?! is a group made up of lyricist/emcee/poet Napoleon Maddux and multifaceted jazz artist Jack Walker. What essentially separates their work from that of just about everybody else in the game is the jazz influence in their music used in combination with what can only be described as a poetry slam approach to the art of emceeing and a strong beat box influence. For the most part, on The Life We Chose, the results of the merging of two distinct art forms from two different eras works extremely well musically. While your average hip-hop listener will have to get used to the off-beat delivery of Napoleon, who will most likely have to refine this delivery somewhat if Iswhat?! Is to garner a significant amount of mainstream success, his style is his style and the power of his words lie in his message. Perhaps nowhere is Napoleon’s ferocity felt more than on the hook for my favorite joint on this album “Ill Biz”. Borrowing the format for the hook from ironically one of my favorite Boogie Down Productions joints of all-time, “Illegal Business”, Napoleon reminds us very clearly who fucked up America, and his lyrical salvo is pointed at none other than our own President George Bush. In a day and age where so many artists are afraid to put themselves out there creatively and politically, this is a welcome and poignant moment. Napoleon also puts forth a strong effort on the album’s title track “The Life We Chose” and “Circus” which are both politically tinged pieces, and his beat boxing is superb on the old school throw back sounding joint “Pilgramage” which features a horn riff and a beat that sounds like something our old school favorites would have spit fury to. Strangely enough, this is one of the album’s best tracks, and it doesn’t even feature any lyrics. I told you this album was about pure music.
With Napoleon providing a majority of the lyrics in his spoken word manner on The Life We Chose as well as most of the production either in more conventional hip-hop sounding beats or Rahzel type beat boxing, which is also very prevalent on the album, one must wonder where jazz artist Jack Walker fits in. The answer: everywhere. Jack with his mastery of mostly the tenor sax but also the flute, provides the punch to every raw beat that he jams to. With the sound of the sax on songs like the intro track “Kashmir” and “Profiles” sounding eerily reminiscent of some of Da Beatminerz early Black Moon work (of course that was sampled, this is life instrumentation) it would not surprise me one bit to hear Jack’s services being implored by some of hip-hop’s premier producers in the near future to help them capture the sound that stricter sampling laws have taken away from them. In iswhat’s case, Jack is without a doubt the backbone of their sound working to combine his jazz influences with the sounds of hip-hop to perfection.
All in all, The Life We Chose is a refreshing piece of artistic work. By combining the arts of emceeing, beat boxing, jazz, and even a little turntablism here and there Iswhat?! create a piece that fans of all musical genres should listen to. While lead emcee Napoleon will need to shore up his flow just a little bit (without sacrificing what makes him who he is of course) in order for the group to continue to attract the attention of more and more heads throughout the world, they definitely have a solid foundation for a successful run into the future. Reminiscent of The Roots of the Organix and Do You Want More?!?! days in more than just their use of live instruments and beat boxing, Iswhat?! could very will find themselves on a similar career path. With The Life We Chose, Napoleon Maddux and Jack Walker take an important step in not only their careers but also in working to bring some of the barest essentials of hip-hop back to the forefront behind a jazz influence that has ties to the earliest days of the art form. While the final grade may seem low to some considering the praise lauded on the group in this column, ultimately it only reflects the vast potential that is Iswhat?!, as at this point they are graded against only themselves.
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Album Review: Is What?! - You Figure It Out (Hyena/Sin-Drome)
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The challenge of the title tagged across Is What?!’s album cover is only the start of the provocatio...The challenge of the title tagged across Is What?!’s album cover is only the start of the provocation offered by this trio of hip hop jazzers. Though even before you start figuring out their melange vibe, the question that arises is: who are these dudes? Fronted by MC Napoleon Maddox, Is What?! is completed by Matt Anderson on upright bass and Jack Walker on the sax and flute. They’ve come straight out of Cincinnati, not known as a hotbed of hip hop, but creativity flourishes in strange places.
The album opens with the appropriately enigmatic ?! Interlude that flings you crash bang into the eclectic trio’s style. MC Napoleon human beat boxing is layered over turntable dynamics and African-style chanting, which is reminiscent of the opening of Wyclef’s Year of the Dragon. It’s enough to enchant as the sonic feast moves on to Parachutes, a lyrical lecture on the subject of misogyny. Or as Napoleon puts it a “Public service announcement for all my dawgs / Living like dogs / Acting like dogs”. Lyrically, Is What?! are firmly on the backpack shelf. Try this on for size: “Calling women chickenheads / Telling them to open their legs / Boy you need to open your head / What would you do if your mom never had you?”
When rhyming, Napoleon’s flow is easy and his voice seems to wedge naturally between the powerfully aggressive bass, the soaring flute and the truly hypnotic sax of Jack Walker, who has got to be one of the oldest dudes to be in a hip hop band. Napoleon’s beatboxing skills, which have won the praise of the beatboxing meister himself, The Roots’ Rahzel, work seamlessly with the turntablism and mean drumming courtesy of guest Hamid Drake on tracks such as Concussion and Can’t Get In.
The sound of You Figure it Out defies easy labelling. The trio bear all the signs of hip hop – the MCing, scratch tricks and deft production – but the jazz impulse is everywhere. The most obvious nod to these roots is in their reworking of Charles Mingus’s Fables of Faubus, where they update Mingus’s civil rights era lament with Napoleon’s beat boxing wizardry. Is What?! also breathe their own style into Mingus' seminal Haitian Fight Song on a track called Trust. Such innovation runs through the entire album. Individual musical abilities are showcased and fused differently on each track. Each sound and style is riffed into many different possibilities. In doing so, Is What?! touch the very essence that informs hip hop as a genre.
Writer: Jessica Ramakrishnan
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ISWHAT?! interview in French
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Dans les chroniques que je lisais à propos de «You Figure It Out», votre premier album, on faisait t...Dans les chroniques que je lisais à propos de «You Figure It Out», votre premier album, on faisait toujours référence à Iswhat?! en tant que trio. Or, aujourd’hui la presse ne mentionne plus que ton nom (Napoleon Maddox / chant, beatbox, machines) et celui de Jack Walker (sax / flûte). Qu’est-il arrivé à Matt Anderson (contrebasse)? Il ne fait plus partie du groupe?
Non, Matthew est parti suivre ses propres aventures. Désormais, nous avons différents bassistes, tout aussi excellents, dont Joe Fonda qui a déjà joué aux côtés de quelques grands noms du jazz comme Billy Bang, Anthony Braxton & Dave Douglas.
«You Figure It Out» est sorti en 2004 (distribué en France en 2006), pourtant on trouvait déjà un remix du titre «Parachutes» sur l’album «Optometry» de Dj Spooky en 2002. Tu peux nous expliquer comment Iswhat?! a commencé?
Nos premiers concerts datent de 1996, et en 1999 nous avons sorti un premier EP, «Landmines» sur lequel apparaissait déjà «Parachutes». Nous avons monté le groupe car nous étions tous des amis de longue date et nous collaborions déjà sur divers projets depuis des années. On a simplement eu envie d’aller plus loin ensemble…
J’ai l’impression que ce nouvel album est plus hip hop que le premier. Peut-être à cause de la production qui est plus clean, ou parce que vous vous êtes tout simplement améliorés dans l’art de trouver des boucles qui tapent… C’était un choix de départ ou ça s’est juste trouvé comme ça?
Je pense que c’est dû à plusieurs raisons… D'une: on a effectivement beaucoup appris en terme de production et d’écriture après l’enregistrement de «You Figure It Out». De deux, pendant la tournée qui a suivi la sortie de ce premier album, on a eu l’occasion de voir et d’entendre des tas de manières de sonner hip hop presque inexploitées, ce qui nous a forcément donner des idées… Et… De trois: les amis avec qui on a choisi de travailler sur «The Life We Chose» ont incroyablement multiplié les possibilités de faire les choses!
Je crois savoir que tu es un gros fan de Public Enemy. Je ne sais pas si tu partageras mon analyse, mais j’ai l’impression que, depuis deux ou trois ans, de plus en plus d’artistes recommencent à se réclamer de ces groupes old school, ce qui n’était plus trop le cas pendant une dizaine d’années (grosso modo 1994-2004). Est-ce qu’on doit y voir un regain de conscientisation politique dû à la situation économique et politique internationale? Ou c’est juste moi qui délire?
Je pense qu’il y a malheureusement de moins en moins de fans de Public Enemy et des autres légendes old school. En tout cas, aux Etats-Unis… Je pense que c’est dû au fait que beaucoup de groupes de rap mainstream aux Etats-Unis ne sont pas du tout emprunts de l’histoire de ce mouvement… Je crois en revanche qu’il y a effectivement de plus en plus d’artistes qui émergent ces derniers temps et qui tentent de sortir les gens de leur léthargie. Mais il n’y en a pas encore assez! C’est peut-être différent en Europe. Peut-être qu’il y a plus de disciples de Public Enemy ici… Je l’espère pour vous!
En même temps, ces groupes (Public Enemy, Paris…) continuent de sortir des disques, pas plus mauvais que d’autres qui plus est, mais dans une relative indifférence générale (médiatique et commerciale)… J’ai l’impression que c’est un cas d’école bien particulier au hip hop. Contrairement au rock, au reggae ou au jazz, les fans de hip hop sont un peu hermétiques aux héros de leur mouvement. Est-ce que le hip hop doit forcément être un truc de jeunes, par des jeunes pour des jeunes?
Je pense que le problème du mouvement hip hop tient dans ses acteurs, qu’ils soient jeunes ou vieux. Le hip hop vit une crise parce que les gens qui le soutiennent vivent une crise. Une crise identitaire, une crise morale, une crise politique… Comme tu l’as dit, il y a encore du très bon hip hop qui sort aujourd’hui. Mais le public de masse est aujourd’hui essentiellement gavé de produits marketés «labellisés» hip hop, et les gens qui nous vendent ça sont des spécialistes du marketing, ils savent donc tout à fait comment vendre par la même occasion des voitures, des marques d’alcool ou des fringues à travers le hip hop. Beaucoup d’artistes acceptent de collaborer avec ces grosses compagnies, même s’ils savent que ça finit par tuer la musique. Il n’y a aucun mal à se faire bien payer pour ce que tu fais, mais tes convictions devraient être plus fortes que la tentation de vendre ton art au rabais… Beaucoup d’entre nous sont encore rongés par les petits vices de la vie. L’éthique et les idéaux ont donc fort à faire comparés à la promesse de gagner un million de dollars. Les artistes ne sont pas différents de l’individu lambda… Le public cherche souvent à s’identifier à un artiste pour se donner un style ou du caractère, mais comme les deux sont souvent aussi paumés l’un que l’autre… Ou du moins, que les deux essaient de s’en sortir comme ils peuvent…
Dans «The Life We Chose», vous faîtes une reprise live du «Kashmir» de Led Zep, et il y a une interpolation au beatbox du «Voodoo Chile» de Jimi Hendrix (dans «The Voice Within»). Dans «You Figure It Out», vous repreniez deux titres de Charles Mingus. Pas très commun pour un groupe de rap?
Disons que ce n’est pas très commun pour un groupe de rap aujourd’hui… Mais quand tu écoutes les vieux classiques old school, c’était une vraie leçon d’histoire de la musique! J’ai écouté tellement d’artistes comme P.E, B.D.P, A Tribe Called Quest, Gangstarr, Organized Confusion ou Self Scientific qui reprenaient à leur compte tout un tas de styles musicaux…. Ils touchaient à tout: musique classique, rock, jazz… Tout ce qui leur tombait sous la main et qui sonnait dans le mix!!
Il y a pas mal de groupes de rap jazzy qui connaissent un gros succès. J’ai l’impression que vous n’avez finalement pas tant que ça à voir avec eux. Vous êtes beaucoup plus free jazz que soul jazzy. Est-ce que vous pensez que c’est une des raisons qui fait que vous n’avez pas (encore) autant de succès que certains?
Je connais aussi beaucoup de groupes de rap jazzy qui ont fait moins de choses que nous. Certains d’entre eux sont très bons, mais je pense qu’il y a un nombre important de facteurs qui déterminent le succès de ton projet musical ou non. On continue de bosser dessus. Mais la chose la plus importante pour nous tous ici est de garder cette connexion entre notre musique et les gens de la rue. C’est notre truc à nous, et on veut le pousser plus loin encore!
Le morceau «Front» et ses beats drum’n’bass me fait un peu penser au «Coded Language» de Saul Williams et Dj Krust. J’imagine que tu te sens pas mal de points communs avec Saul Williams?
C’est intéressant… Je n’avais jamais vu ce morceau sous cet angle-là avant… Mais, oui, on adore Saul Williams! On a fait pas mal de dates avec lui l’an dernier et c’est quelqu’un de très novateur et sincère. On le respecte énormément.
Sur votre page myspace, on voit Bob Marley en fond d’écran. Tu peux nous donner d’autres noms sans qui Iswhat ?! n’aurait sans doute jamais existé?
Rahsaan Roland Kirk, The Roots, Steel Pulse, Stetsasonic, Doug E Fresh, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Malcom X, Steve Biko…
Vous avez un paquet d’invités sur cet album. Tu peux nous les présenter, et nous expliquer comment ils sont arrivés là?
Hamid Drake (batterie) fait presque partie de la famille, il nous accompagne sur scène de temps en temps et apparaissait déjà sur «You Figure It Out». Il a déjà joué avec des légendes comme Herbie Hancock, David Murray, Pharoah Sanders… On le connaît depuis des années!
Claire Daly (sax baryton), elle aussi, fait presque partie de la famille… Elle joue sur scène avec nous parfois. Elle a fait partie des orchestres de Aretha Franklyn et James Brown. Nous l’avons rencontrée grâce à Joe Fonda.
J'ai rencontré Ming&FS (beats/production), puis j’ai tourné avec eux lorsque je tournais avec Dj Spooky pour sa tournée après la sortie de «Optometry». J’ai ensuite participé à leur album «Back To One» puis à la tournée qui a suivi…
On a rencontré Roy CampbellJr. (pocket trumpet) grâce à Hamid Drake. Quant à Casual T/The Animal Crackers (DJ crew), ce sont de vieux amis qui apparaissaient déjà eux aussi sur «You Figure It Out». Ils viennent de gagner le championnat US des DMC par équipes et doivent donc se rendre à Londres pour le championnat du monde!!
On connait Piakhan (MC) depuis quinze ans! On a enregistré ensemble dans le même studio que Dj Hi-Tek et un paquet d’autres vieux de la vieille de la scène de Cincinnati. On a eu à se recroiser car il bosse aussi avec Casual T des Animal Crackers sur la prod’… Et comme Casual T a pas mal bossé sur notre album, ça s’est un peu fait naturellement… Vous pouvez aussi entendre Piakhan sur les albums de Reflection Eternal aux côtés de Talib Kweli & HiTek ainsi que sur la B.O de «Brown Sugar» (voir sa page Myspace ici)
Fatal Prose (MC) excelle aussi bien en tant que poète, écrivain et MC. Il a déménagé de Cleveland à Cincinnati pour venir y faire ses études. On a fait quelques concerts ensemble, et il nous a véritablement bluffés par son intelligence et sa passion du hip hop. Il a organisé beaucoup de soirées autour de la poésie et on l’entend aussi parfois avec un groupe appelé Definition. C’est un grand honneur que de l’avoir sur notre album… (voir sa page Myspace ici)
Lewis "Flip" Barnes (trompette) est un trompettiste / chanteur / bassiste que j’ai rencontré à New York. Hamid Drake et lui jouaient sur des disques de William Parker que j’écoutais beaucoup. Puis je l’ai rencontré en personne et il était super cool! Il chantait et jouait de la trompette aussi avec le JC Hopkins Biggish Band avec lesquels j’ai joué quelques fois. C’est aussi un membre imminent de la Black Rock Coalition et du Burnt Sugar Arkestra (voir le site du groupe). Quand le Burnt Sugar est venu à Cincinnati pour faire des shows avec Iswhat?!, Flip en a profité pour enregistrer quelques parties de trompette sur «Ill Biz» et ça collait parfaitement au morceau… On espère pouvoir refaire des choses avec lui!
Enfin, Daniela Castro fait également partie de la famille! Elle est bolivienne et est arrivée à Cincinnati il y a cinq ans et demi. Elle a participé à beaucoup de concours de poésie dans lesquels elle explosait tout le monde! C’est aussi quelqu’un de très engagé, ainsi qu’une plasticienne. Nous sommes devenus amis et elle est venue sur quelques shows avec nous. Puis elle a enregistré avec nous, et maintenant nous aimerions vraiment qu’elle continue à être active dans le groupe, car elle envoie ce qu’il faut! Aujourd’hui, elle vit dans le Bronx à New York…
Est-ce qu’on peut espérer revoir un jour Iswhat?! en live en France?
On espère bien revenir le plus vite possible car on garde de très bons souvenirs du Festival Sons d’Hiver 2006 à Paris en janvier dernier!
C’est la tradition chez Bokson, vous avez le mot de la fin…
A tous les gens qui galèrent ou qui piétinent, si vous n’êtes pas en train de vivre la vie que vous vous étiez choisie: choisissez-là désormais, et vivez-la!
Kalcha
21/09/2006
supersonic
DIG
