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Interviews
junclassic – The 730 Interview

posted July 27, 2016 / No Comments

When you’re eleven albums deep in the game, it’d be easy to get stuck in your ways, settle into an easy formula, and let cruise control take over. Lucky for us, junclassic, keeps finding new ways to reinvent himself and continues to show growth. On Better Than Fiction Too, the sequel to Better Than Fiction, the Queens product continues exploring his identity while crafting clever punchlines and getting personal, like on the tribute “Father’s Day.” jun chops it up with us while remembering an MC near and dear to our hearts, Nut Nillz.

It’s always good to chop it up with you. Before we get into the album, Better Than Fiction Too, I wanted to talk to you about the tragic passing of Nut Nillz, who you’ve been down with for such a long time.

Oh, man, Nut Nillz was just such a dope dude. One of the illest cats and one of the hungriest MCs. One of the livest brothers that you’ll meet, straight from the streets of Brick City, Newark, New Jerz. Lived a life a lot of these rappers fabricate. You could never even imagine the reality of it but he was such a humble dude. He lived hard, man, and was such a dope MC and was so live on stage. He was just the embodiment of a live dude. If you was wack on the mic, he would let you know. He was the type to go to your show and challenge you if he didn’t feel that you were dope. He showed me and K-Sise a lot of love from the outset. (more…)
Interviews
Elzhi – The 730 Interview

posted April 12, 2016 / No Comments

From his smooth, razor-sharp verses with Slum Village, Elzhi quickly established himself as an MC in the realest sense (and think about how many MCs can be smooth and razor-sharp at the same time – I’ll wait). Whether he’s dropping game to a lady or reminding you why his wit and wordplay is in another realm, Elzhi’s stayed Elzhi as he transitioned away from Slum to establish himself as a solo artist. When he reinvented Nas’s classic Illmatic as Elmatic, Elzhi proved to still be on the innovative tip, as he not only flipped songs that would be frightening to most, but he added a live band just to show off a little.

In 2016, Elzhi is still that same dude. Bars for days with that smooth-like-butter flow, but the artistic growth continues. With Lead Poison, an album that unfortunately took on a double-meaning once the Flint water crisis hit, Elzhi is an open book. From his battles with depression to his love life, nothing is off limits in what is his most personal album to date. I caught up with the Detroit legend to talk about the album, mental health and hip-hop, and much more.

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Interviews
Beneficence – The 730 Interview

posted April 11, 2016 / No Comments

“In the school of hard knocks, I am a true scholar/Music equipped for all whips, Bentleys to Impala/Ill Adrenaline medicine man, back again/I’ll bring the Bricks to your city,” Beneficence spits on “EZ As 1-2,” the blistering first cut off his critically acclaimed LP Basement Chemistry. From the jump, Beneficence goes heavy on the gas as only a Jersey driver can and doesn’t let up, delivering a smooth, reflective, and most definitely lyrical album that stands as one of the best to drop in 2016.

And as oly a true scholar could do, Beneficence has been paying his dues for twenty-plus years in the game. From battling Pacewon in college tno rocking shows in the Tri-State area, Beneficence earned respect and built his name the right way. There are no shortcuts or gimmicks, and that’s what makes his music truly stand out. Running his own label, Ill Adrenaline, only helps, as he’s in control of his own sound and image as few artists are or would ever want to be. Surrounded by a team of talented artists, including producer Confidence, Beneficence offers what might be his best release yet, a hard feat for a vet. In this exclusive interview, Beneficence talks about his creative process, the crafting of Basement Chemistry, the Jersey scene, and much more.

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Interviews
Agallah – The 730 Interview

posted March 27, 2016 / No Comments

Agallah and I did our first interview about ten years ago. This is back in the Purple City days and his first official release was dropping, You Already Know. When we started the interview, it only took one question for 8Off to tear through almost every subject I had questions for. I’m staring at my phone, feeling a mixture of confusion, because I don’t know how I’m going to run an interview that was only one question, but more awe, definitely more awe, because this was a dude that fully believed in his project and himself as an artist and was so damn excited to talk about it that questions be damned, he has a platform and he’s going to use it.

Fast forward ten years, and as Biggie said, things done changed. While his music has advanced, both sonically and in the diverse subject matters, you wouldn’t know it talking to Ag. On this cold night, I’m in Virginia and he’s outside San Antonio, spending time with his aunt, who just emerged victorious after a bout with breast cancer. There should be a lot to be happy about, but there isn’t.

The pain of losing Sean Price last August is still ever-present, so much so that Ag stops the interview at one point to compose himself. Sean wasn’t just a rapper friend and someone Agallah worked with. They were childhood friends, dudes who stuck together when the industry was over both of them, before Sean’s resurgence with Monkey Barz. As devastating a loss as Sean Price was to the hip-hop world, it’s much, much worse for those who knew the real Sean, the friend, the father, the husband.

Despite the pain, Agallah released his new album, Bo: The Legend of the Water Dragon, to reaffirm his place in the game and remind everyone that while he’s been suffering, he’s paid his dues and he’s still one of the most talented in the game, both on the beats and the mic. On the album, Ag works through the pain of losing Sean Price, releases the final finished song of them together, and fires some much-needed shots into the air just to let everyone know he’s still here and while he may be down, he’s far from out, the one common thread from our first convo back in ‘06.

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Interviews
Thru Interview

posted March 21, 2016 / No Comments

Thru, f/k/a Trujillo, first caught my ear way back in the day with his gruff delivery, slick wordplay, and his unique way of describing life through his lens. Not an easy task. These days, Thru is still doing that, whether it’s dropping free projects or albums, you can hear the hunger like the crackle of vinyl. In this interview, Thru tackles a variety of topics as he continues to assert his place in the hip-hop canon as one of the best that needs to be discovered.
Interviews
Cole James Cash: The WeGoinIN Interview

posted August 24, 2015 / No Comments

Cole James Cash is a producer you should be checking for, whether it’s his intricate instrumental projects or how he has the ability to bring the gutterest of gutter bars out of MCs. Hailing from the Bay Area, Cole James Cash was originally into the EDM scene as a DJ before delving into the production game. As he made headway in the game, though, his addiction to prescription pills became so overpowering that Cole James Cash did a stint in rehab. Today, while fighting the urge to go back to that life, we find the talented producer focused on raising his family and his upcoming projects, the most recent of which will be Street Champion, an album inspired by the classic Street Fighter II. Check out Cole James Cash in this exclusive interview, as he details putting the album together, fighting his addiction, his production process, and much more.

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