ClaAs

Band: Claas
Website: Location: Arlington, Texas
Interviewed by: Ashley
The interview was done with an awesome hip-hop artist name Claas. His descriptive lyrics that paint a picture with the ears. Hip-hop may not be in the underground, but its defintely in the underground...

Can you gives us some information about the man behind the mic?
Aight basically, the name is ClaAs, its a root form of my actual name, I was born overseas, but I'm not foreign and I've been in the game for about 3 years now, still a youngin. I started off in a group called Full Scale Riot with a dude named McNastee we were on Rydas Records (Rydas.com), it was tight we sold a good 500 copies or so and barely pushed the EP "Renaissance of the Masses", then I went solo under the name MK for a while, and put out some songs and a solo EP called "Misinterpretation" it was cool, then I decided to change my name and started working on a full length album, it was gonna be the shit, I had Marz on a track, was in talks with Cage and a few other people, but eventually it panned out and I ended up feeling like I didn't wanna rap so I quit for a year and some odd months, and then me and some friends started ATX for fun, and basically here I am now, back to workin way to hard to make a living.

How did you get started? When did the hip-hop bug bite you?
I've been into hip-hop all my life, even in high school we used to do cheesy shit like have someone beat box on a table with a pencil and we would rhyme to it like we were tight, but I would say I actually truly wanted to express my talents when I got to college and started meeting the right people to help me get in the game, so once I was in it, that was it i was ready to go full circle.

What artist/musicians influenced you to make music?
all kinds of people I'm ecclectic as a motherfucker, I mean Techn9ne, Tupac, Nas, Biggie, Jay Z, Twiztid, ICP, Atmosphere, Eydea and Abilities, and the lists go on and on and on, the funniest thing is, I rap and I barely listen to it, I listen to rock and punk, nu-metal shit like that, I love it, its so energetic and exciting, but when it comes down to it, rap is what I love to do even if i dont like listening to much of it.

In your bio, in mentioned that you took 'a year and some odd months off'. What made you stop for so long?
I felt like i was saying the same shit in every track, and I just wasn't happy with what I was becoming and where I was headed, I mean don't get me wrong I enjoyed what I did make, but the songs I was writing were bullshit like a motherfucker, and I couldn't have that, so the best thing I could do was just take some time to reevaluate myself, so I took the year off and in the process I got really frustrated and fed up with the shit I heard on the radio, so thats where my bitterness and fuck the industry mentality came from that you hear in my songs.

What aspects of underground hip-hop do you like - that makes you not want to strive mainstream success?
Underground is the shit, I mean everyone in the underground is hungry, whether its to be mainstream or just be great, they are hungry, some of the best artists there are right now are underground, Cage, Copywrite, Atmosphere, King Gordy, etc. All these people are underground and a lot of people have no clue who they are, the competition is fierce, its fun, its exciting and its just want you want in life, a struggle but the fans you gain from this are die hards, they aren't teeny boppers that saw you on TRL or 106 and Park and bought your CD for 1 fuckin song, these are fans, real fans, well worth it fans.

What comes first - the beats or the lyrics?
Lyrics most of the time, I can write a song free of a beat and work it to any beat you give me, it makes my life much easier cuz I don't have to have certain beats that I make sure I write the right song to, I can have any beat and take any of the songs I've written and stick them to it, it just comes down to what song sounds better on which beat.

You're about to release an EP (Almost Claasick) - what was the inspiration behind that? Why did it take so long for you to drop the EP?
Gettin songs done is a bitch, nothin in this world is free, and god damn it I ain't P Diddy, so money was a factor when it came down to time, the EP is for everyone thats been waiting for an album from me for a couple years now, and for all the new fans that are hungry for what I got, it'll contain some new songs, and some old songs that I never released, just to hype up the album release later this year.

Since the future release of the new record. Are there any plans to tour in promotion of the EP?
I'm trying, I do shows here and there and would love to catch a tour and go with some other groups out to hit the road and get this shit out there, I mean for now its a show to show basis, if someone has a show and needs another act and calls me, im down, if I see a show thas going on and i wanna try and be a part of it, I'll contact them and see if I can get on, so I guess I would have to say yes and no.

What sets you apart from so many artist in the underground scene?
Who knows, I mean I couldn't tell you honestly, I'im sure my fans could give you many reasons as to how I am, but in my eyes I'm me, I don't pay to much attention to everyone else and what they are doing, I'm focused on what I need to do and where I wanna go, but if I had to pick something I would prolly say the sheer fact that I like macaroni and ketchup and I'm sure the others don't, so hell yeh im the man!!! wesssssstssssssssiiiiideeeee

What do you hope to accomplish with your music?
Success, is prolly the best word, I would love to be rich but its hard to get rich, I would love to be famous, but thats even harder nowadays, but being successful is whatever you make it out to be, I mean I feel like I'm successful right now, because people dig my music, and I have an EP coming out and album etc. So I feel like I am hitting my stride and thats all i really want from anything, I think thats all anyone really wants with anything they do.

Where do you see Claas 2 years from now?
Broke and asking you for your change! Just kidding, hopefully signed to a underground label like Strange Music, or DefJux, etc, getting ready to release album number 2 and still rockin shows like its my first time.

What does the word "hip-hop" mean to you?
To me hip hop is universal, hip hop is everything from rap, to alternarap to horrorcore, to beat boxing, break dancing, etc.. hip hop isn't even just a word anymore, its a way of life, people live and die hip hop, everything they do in some way or form is hip hop, so thats what it means to me.

If all the songs that you've written, which one is your favorite?
Either "Glorified 4 Television" or "ClaASick" are my favorite tracks, I think they both have their own identity, "ClaAsick" is a completely different style from what I normally do and "G4TV" is a track that I absolutely loved writing because it was about people looking for fame instead of trying to actually rap, so those 2 are the ones I like the most, but don't get me wrong i love all my songs.

What has the support been like from family/friends/fans etc?
Good, my friends love it, they support me 100%, and it seems I am making more fans everyday, the more I promote the more people pay attention and take notice which is always good, I can only do so much, I can't make up peoples minds for them, but it feels good when people tell you they don't really like rap but they dig your shit, its like damn...thanx, so the supports great so far, I guess we'll see how the EP and the album do.

Anything else that you like to add to the interivew (shamless self-promotion etc)?
My website is coming soon! Check it out, and umm be yourself, because if you are someone else, then they aren't themselves so they are someone else and so goes the chain...oh yeh and eat your vegetables!, thanx for the support!!!

- TheEdgeUnderground.net