Exclusive: 5 Star Hip Hip Interviews Lid Law
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I love my job here at 5STARHIPHOP.COM; I get to meet, and chop it up with some people that are tru...
I love my job here at 5STARHIPHOP.COM; I get to meet, and chop it up with some people that are true doers, and extremely talented. Take my man Lid Law, The Jrunk Unk for instance. I had the privilege, (after listenin’ & vibin’ to his music for a while now), to kick it with the Chicago native on multiple topics & issues……
5 Star Hip Hop: First, tell the viewers a little about yourself, like where you are from for instance.
Lid Law: I’m from the southside of the GO-Ill (Chicago) via my daddy’s 8 track and my momma good looks (Laughs), been doing hip hop professionally since 1999 started a label w/ my cousin (Ill Regards Records) was/am part of a hip-hop movement called the “Jrunk Unklz” thus me being the Jrunk Unk.
5 Star Hip Hop: Do you prefer Unk Lid Law, and what does the name mean?
Lid Law: Lid Law the “Jrunk Unk” is the name and the named derived from the group I was/am in. The music I create is similar to what your own Jrunk Unkl would tell you… The absolute truth! Sure it might be hard to swallow, might be harsh when it first comes thru to you, but its for your best interests! I mean a jrunk unk is that part of the fam who knows better but might not act that way in public! The jrunk unk is that member of the fam who sees a different side to good/bad but still give u the low down, a jrunk unk is RAW, UNCUT, and not asking for forgiveness for what he feels or has been thru… But he is still family! Sometimes the coolest part of your family! The original members are myself, tony Baines, and Vice Verse
5 Star Hip Hop: When did you know you were built for the Hip Hop game?
Lid Law: I been on stage my WHOLE life (plays, MC’ing events in high school/college, playing music, sports) I always have been viewed publicly, when dudes was figting in high school it was always “K’halid and ‘nem” (K’halid is my government Lid is short for K’halid… Please no dj Khaled jokes lol) when cats was in a cipher at college, it was “did u hear lid and them getting down?” I always been a victim of popularity good and bad, so the transition to music wasn’t that different, just a different SKILL… Word to Napoleon Dynamite (Laughs)
5 Star Hip Hop: What was the first song you performed in front of an audience?
Lid Law: First rap (I hate that as a word for my work, but whatever)I ever wrote was to go outside (Laughs) (Dream sequence begins) I was 11 and my cousin was over from out of town wit his fam (mom,dad,sis). I was stayin wit my grandp’s at the time and me and cuz wanted to go ride our bikes! His dad is a reverend, so to go outside he said we had to write a rap (uggghh) about the 10 commandments… We ripped that ish (sorry Moses) but that was my intro in the world I call home now!
5 Star Hip Hop: There are a lot of rappers who boast about having “Swag”. What does that word mean to you?
Lid Law: That I’m gonna have have to suffer hearing that by every quote hot unquote rapper for the next year (Laughs). Really swag is style, but since hardly nobody in hip-hop is developing their own sense of style they use “swag” as their escape ladder, its still about being u, but nobody even knows who they are personally anymore.
5 Star Hip Hop: What do you think about the industry today, compared to when you started?
Lid Law: I hate the new game, though the tides are trying to change and more quality hop is filtering in, a lot of those “REAL hip-hop Icons” aint even trying to help a up and coming artist, and these the same ninjas that claim to b so real, claim its for the love, claim they not the demons of hip-hop’s past, in a way I think they are worse Than the baller ass drug dealer cats, cause they are doing the underground sideline hating, at least the ballers let u know from the door “naw, shorty, I can’t fuck wit u”
5 Star Hip Hop: Who do you listen to, other than yourself of course? Who would you like to work with in the game now? Old or New?
Lid Law: I listen to 70’s music really! Huge fan of JB, the funk brothers (all motown sound), Issac Hayes, Cameo, Slave, AWB, Chaka Khan, EWF, Isley Bro, Fela Kuti, Beatles, the Stones, rick james bitch, common, the cool kids, Ye, Jigga, Nas, Kiss, Mos, Dre, Black Milk, Pharoe Monch, Slum, Animal Kingdom, Pac Div, Que Billah, Gucci Mane (shut up), Jeezy, Outkast, Weezy, Amy Winehouse, Jazmine Sullivan, Badu, Twista, Walter J. Liveharder, Phat Turner, Rev. James Clevland “lil birdies your free cause I paid the price” (Laughs) But I wanna work wit all of them!
5 Star Hip Hop: Are you currently working on a project now? When can we expect it?
Lid Law: My first album is named “Lid.it.ure” (like literature) but before the album drops I got 3 mixtapes I’m doing to build the buzz! The first mixtape is “Chi to NY the Preface” and I’m doing that wit super producer Tommy Ruffin (what up tommy)… The second mixtape is “Chi to Mile High the Introduction” and I’m doing that with CORE DJ/derrty ent.dj’s DJ K-Tone (what up Tone)… The third is “Chi the table of contents” and I’m doing that with DJ Thunder and a famous host (can’t let u know just yet, sorry) so with all these projects I’m using the “book” theme… Since they say niggaz don’t read, maybe they will listen! “Lid.it.ure” will be dropping mid july early august… The mixtapes will go 1 each of the coming months before the album first to drop mid-may!
5 Star Hip Hop: The digital movement. What are your likes/dislikes of the new music movement?
Lid Law: I like the digital movement cause it levels the playing field, and it puts artists in my situation (small budget, big talent)in a good position to be heard by the masses and let them formulate their own opinions likes or dislikes without having to be brainwashed by the radio’s 10 song rotation, or televisions big budget artist monster! The downside is u aint gone get paid like u used to unless u find some part of the market to capitalize on (ringtones, downloads for $, etc.)But it is giving us with the talent the right kind of vehicle to get to where we want to go!
5 Star Hip Hop: What Blogs do you visit the most?
Lid Law: As far as they blogs…5starhiphop has been down since day uno! And I so appreciate the love yall been showin! Hiphopchronicleuk is cool, allstarhihop.com is tight, allhiphop (though they won’t put me on ugggh) is decent, and my hometown heores @ fakeshoredrive.com keep a brother in rotation (but they won’t intv. Me or put me on their showcases but whatever) but yeah, I appreciate the bloggers who recognize music this industry is missing! Music with vision, purpose, and no outside motives but real hip-hop! Makes the record companies check themselves cause for years them niggas got fat while artists starved on the streets, its our turn… Word to Frank White!
5 Star Hip Hop: What other projects are you currently working on?
Lid Law: I got a TON of projects I’m writing (got a degree in journalism… Don’t write that, niggas like a dummy) but I wrote a movie to go wit “Lid.it.ure”, I am working on a play, a novel, and a book of poetry,and I still do a lil acting, and writing for a few local production companies so… If I can get some $ here soon and I can afford the time to work seriously on things, I’m gonna flood all of entertainment.
5 Star Hip Hop: Chicago has had major contributions in music period. Do you feel any pressure to “measure up’ to your predecessors?
Lid Law: None! Cause with all our success we are still viewed as the black sheep of the family! And we still have SO MANY artists yet to have been exposed! Chicago is a melting pot for hip-hop, one of the only places u can go and hear jay-z, snoop, wayne, outkast, ye, slum, nerd, and gucci (yes nigga gucci) in the same party… Wiht us being influenced by everyone elses sound and artists it makes a unique blend to what we here consider hip-hop and the best is yet to come! So no, no pressure, I just wish most these chicago artists would use their influence in the industry to pull more of us up to the big game (“put me in the game coach”) instead of promoting fashion from the “so-homo” designers, vegetarian food, and bmx bikes… We got a lot to offer the world too, and if I ever get a chance to get in the big game, I’m bringing Chi up wit me.
5 Star Hip Hop: I take it you have tried to reach out to some of the so-called “big” names in Hip Hop? Anyone we know? Feel free to name names!
Lid Law: Well on twitter I must say… Plug Won has been the alltime realest dude I’ve contacted! He is NOT like the rest of the industry I’ve reached out and tried to give props too! He has been helpful w/ advice, knowledge the whole 9… Also ICADON is a real ninja, and Rampage (my man) we bout to get some shit in for the mixtapes!! As far as on a real level, I got a song wit the cool kids (yeah, really) that’s is BAANOOODLES that will NOT be leaked so u gotta get the album, I also got a song wit Mikkey Halsted (formerly of cash money and virgin records) that’s my ninja since freshman year! I have also tried to reach out to a few big names in the industry whom I respect but don’t know, and a few big names I have already done some work wit, but them niggas feeling they self on some masturbation vacation type shit, so me being the prideful alpha-male I am… I aint begging nair nadda 1 maafucka to fuck wit me on my project! I learned a long time ago, if niggaz don’t wannack wit you, keep making hot shit! Force they hand to fuck wit u, cause when the people get together and say “that lid dude is nice… U not fuckin wit him?” It make them seem like they still gotta walk to the tv to turn the channel (aka make them seem out the loop, sorry imma a book of metaphors sometimes) (Laughs)
5 Star Hip Hop: Do you have any videos out now?
Lid Law: None yet, but I’m talking to to cats who do videos (one is the cool kids video director “pennies”, the other just did “lo-sweatas” for project mayhem… Nice!) But I’m gonna shoot a video for the first single “Telephony” just trying to save up some of this change I found in my couch coushins
Empty all my crown royal bags and my old water cooler jugs.
5 Star Hip Hop: What do you do n your down time?
Lid Law: Think of the next creation… Pray for my existence… And beatbox country and western songs…(Laughs). I’m just kidding. I don’t pray. LMAO.
Lid Law: I never stop workin RT… I feel like I will get enough sleep once I’m gone, and I feel like the idol mind is a devils playground, so I keep my playground lucifer-less!
5 Star Hip Hop: What advice would you give to an up and coming MC/entertainer?
Lid Law: Give it all to GOD! EVERYTHING, the love, the stress, the effort, the success, the failure, the wishes, the closed doors, the hopes, the dreams, the world! Let him do what is to be done… But give it all to him… To GOD be the GLORY (don’t seem like I’m too religious do I?) Anyway… Stay prayerful young jedi’s OUR CAUSE SPEEDS ON IT’S WAY!!! Word to A. Langston Taylor…
