Melvin Junko

Ask Salt Lake City rapper/beatmaker Melvin Junko about his introduction to music and he’ll tell you quite bluntly that he “…came out the vaj rockin!”

The name “Melvin Junko” is based off of a character in the Lloyd Kaufman movie “Toxic Avenger” who was a nerd that was constantly harrassed by bullies. At a pivotal point in the movie he ended up going out of a window and landed in a bucket of toxic waste which turned into a highly mutilated crime fighting superhuman.

“I love music. Always have”, asserts Junko. “[A Melvin Junko record is] anything I want it to be. Half my records are random shit just piled together.. Make a beat, rap on it, cool… Album.”

Sounds simple enough. It’s just the same with almost anything dealing with the guy. He doesn’t take himself seriously – as far as being egotistical – which is quite rare for rappers. Probably being one of the most down-to-Earth type of guys you’ll ever meet in the world of Hip Hop (perhaps in music altogether), there’s no antics or posturing demanding that you worship or show signs of veneration to him or his persona. Offering music that relates to probably just about any human being on the face of the planet, you can tell that this is a thinking-man. His lyrics are very much about life and personal relationships, dealing with connections (lose, severed, and tight knit) and the beats, usually produced on his own, are a Hip Hop purists delight.

“There’s no real message in my music. I Just like doing it. I like for it to speak for itself. Some people think its a shit basket. Some people like listening to it. There are tons of ‘points’ to my music, they’re all in there when you listen to it. I want people to get what they can out if it. Whether its just riding around listening to the shit. Whether it makes them say “Fuck that dude, he just said roiders finger their own butt holes!! Change this shit, hoe!” or “damn this dudes on some real life rhyming his ass off and his beats are bangin” shit. Its whatever. I make it and let it do its thing after that.”

One has to wonder how and where such an enlightened attitude towards music making comes from. It’s just a further testament to his strong-type humility, and something that brings you to the matter-of-the-fact realization that this is the approach that should be taken by all involved with music. Simply make the music that is true to what drives you, set it out and do what you can to expose it to folks, and let the music do what it needs to do. Kind of like a “build it and they will come” type of paradigm. An easy-going attitude and mano-y-mano philosophy, coupled with the pure and quality sound should have an artist like Melvin Junko with tons of adoring fans.

“I have homies, I don’t have any fans. We stay connected via phone and web.”

Now if you’ve since taken notice of the true-to-life, actual factual stance of an artist and decided this is the route for you, and have busted out your notepad to mark down pointers, don’t look to this guy Junko for any guidance. Perhaps due to the obviousness, common sensibility of it all, he doesn’t feel as though the game should be sold or told. It simply is. It’s almost Taoist.

“As far as other people connecting with their fans.. I dunno.. That’s up to them,” states Junko with more matter-of-fact realism.

Looking at the footprints in the musical sandy beach that Melvin Junko has walked, and looking forward to what’s to come, he paints a rich and colorful picture of both directions in the continuum.

“Me and Dr. Gonzo used to write raps and make beats for fun. I still do and so does he when he’s in America.. And sometimes when he’s not as well. But he just moved back so he might be making more music if he’s not too busy.

The Darkstar and myself record coming soon.. My albums on my bandcamp, got a beat cd on there, a couple EPs. Some full length solos with some features, some singles, a remix CD. Still doin’ work with the Dope City Saints. Working on some more solo shit. My manager,Punx has got me working on some cool shit as well…Yay.”

So far, besides a collection of beats and singles released through his Bandcamp account, the sonic superhero has put out “The Ones That Made It” – which is a collection of tracks that were originally slated to be on the “Haggard Mantis Album” but due to some personal revelations, and his upcoming fatherhood status, he decided to shelf the album.

“I can’t wait for my little girl to be here. My girlfriend is tough. I gotta shout her out for being such a bad ass through everything shes going through. I would die haha. I’ve grown up a lot. I’m just getting ready. It’s going to be a great experience.. I’ve always wanted to be a dad.”

In addition, he produced “Gigantificationism (The 5One8 EP)” for GM aka Mr Not You – which is an absolute must have.

His production style, while leaning more towards the back-pack crowd, is more so what I’d describe as “stair-case”. It’s not anything that you can’t b - Abveez.com