Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
The first Beat This! of the new year has come and gone, with a seeming newcomer taking the first title of the year. That newcomer was ViCeVerSE, who came out of nowhere with his James Brown tribute beat, DiDaDa.
First thing's first: Tell us about ViCeVerSE the man. Who are you, what kind of personality you have, what is your day job, tell us a little about your family, what kind of childhood you had, etc...
Let's see... I am 22 years old, but sometimes I feel like I'm pushin 40. I guess I have an old soul, I say this because even though I am a young cat, I've done more than most guys my age. I have been married for 3 years now, and I have a 2 year old daughter with another on the way. Growing up in a small town in Southern California, we were your average poor family, single mom, welfare, drug dealing/doing siblings, drama 101. But that was all actually a blessing to me cause I seen what I didn't want to become, and it helped me to become a man. I got a job in high school, and dropped out my senior year cause I wanted to focus more time on music. Plus I needed to work full time, because my mom got sick and could no longer work, so I basically stepped up cause we had to eat. Anyways, fast forward to the present, I still work at the same place and over the past five years I worked my way up through the ranks and became manager - not by choice mind you, I only deal with the bullshit that goes on because I got my family to support now. If it wasn't for that, I would have bounced a long time ago.
As a father and husband, would you say that those things affect your outlook as a hip hop artist? If so, in what ways?
Maybe, maybe not, maybe fuck yourself. LOL. Yeah they do for a couple reasons, one is the time issue - if I didn't have a family I would have a lot more material. The second is content - I want to make music my daughter can listen to.
Tell us about your journey through hip hop - your earliest exposure to the art form, and your evolution from that starting point. Who are your major influences and favorite artists, in all genres?
I can't recall the first moment I was exposed to it, I think it was always kinda just there. I do remember in like 6th grade tryna write down BoneThugs lyrics, LOL. All the words were wrong, but I thought I sounded cool as hell rappin to the tape, so I took a boom box to school to show off... ahhh memories, LOL. Nah but around my junior high years I got into break dancing, (shout out to all the B-Boys and B-Girls.) I rented the movie Breakin and started to copy their moves, then progressed from there. I use to go to this local club to show off, that's where I met Cold Truth. I grew up listening to a lotta oldies and rock, some of my favorites were Zapp & Roger, Rolls Royce, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin. As for Hip Hop I was listening to N.W.A., Pac, L.L.Cool J, Snoop, Warren G., B.I.G, but as I got older I think I opened my mind up to a wider variety of music, so you can catch me listening to anything from Incubus to Nas to the Cranberries to Lupe Fiasco to you name it. Good music is good music, I don't really care what the genre is.
Tell us how you wound up producing beats and rhyming.
I first got into production when Cold brought over a Boss Dr 202, LOL. He was actually the first one to introduce me to underground hip hop. So anyway he had to Pawn that shit due to some financial hard times. I thought that was the end of that, but I still always had a passion for the music from that day on, about 7 months later, I saved up enough money to buy the equipment back from the Pawn Shop and that's where our quest began (cue the Star Wars music LOL.) We eventually upgraded, he bought an MPC 2000xl and I was blown away by it. I ended up borrowing some income tax money from my older sister to buy a Roland XP 30 keyboard, which I then traded some guy for a Korg Triton and $300.00. From there we had a little setup in my room, we were focused on producing, and I was actually slangin beats to some wack ass rappers - for $60 bucks a beat, I wasn't doin too bad LOL. Then once again I had some hard times, and I had to sell the Triton, I used the money for rent, food, bills and what was left over I bought a cheap acoustic guitar. So even though I gave up producing, I was always into music. From then on I had a lotta changes in my life, I had to basically weed out the bullshit and get focused. Cold got a computer and was showing me all the material he was workin on over the past couple years, I was like damn I gotta get back into the game, and then finally (actually like 4 months ago) I got a new comp with the hook ups.
Can you fill us in a little bit about your creative process? What equipment do you use, and what equipment have you used in the past?
At the moment I got a PC with Cubase SX3, an E-Mu Xboard, and a lotta VST's (Sonic Synth, Proteus, Absynth, Battery, Kontakt). I really am still just starting out, although I'm not new to producing, using a PC is way different from using hardware. As for my creative process, it's kinda weird, I think it just depends on the mood I'm in. I'll start with a drum pattern most of the time then proceed from there. If that doesn't work, I'll find a dope sample, then I just compose something over it. I'll take the sample out after making up my own melodies, and that usually gives me a good start. When making a beat with a partner, the process is a little different, cause you have a second opinion as you're making the beat - it kinda changes what you would have done on your own. When working on a song with Cold we usually take turns adding different elements, he'll start off with a drum pattern, then I'll add a melody or if he has a beat already in progress, I'm pretty good at coming in and composing some dopeness over it, and the other way around.
Now that we got the basics out the way, let's dig a little deeper. You're a white man in a culture created and dominated by African Americans. What advantages or disadvantages do you feel that gives you?
You sound like Barbara fuckin Walters LOL. I feel the disadvantage is that being white, people in the Hip Hop community take you as a joke (ie The White Rapper Show, Malibu's Most Wanted), which is totally understandable with what's been put out there, but it's almost like a stereotype. In a lotta cases these artists are trying to be something they aren't, and most people can see right through that. On the flip side the advantage is that though I am white, I feel like people will underestimate me and I will catch them off guard and they will respect the fact that I am just me, and hopefully they will enjoy the music I make, and not judge it on race.
What are your feelings regarding something like Ego Trip's The White Rapper Show? Do you feel it helps or hurt the perception of white artists in hip hop?
As much as I hate to say it, that show is very entertaining LOL. All the artists on there are really garbage, but the producers of the show did a good job picking the most entertaining personalities. As for helping or hurting the perception of a white artist, I think it doesn't do either. They are just playing off of the stereotype that is already out there so I cant be mad at them LOL.
What do you feel you can offer the culture? In what ways can the culture benefit from ViceVerse the man, producer, and MC? In what ways do you benefit from the culture?
I think that people can benefit from my music because it's not your average up in the club Hip Hop. I have a lot of things that I been through and came out okay, and I feel by sharing my story with others through music it will help to encourage them to not give up. With the production part, I feel as of late, a lotta the production out today is really weak and basic and even played out. I make music that I like, and I hope it will influence others to do what they like and not try to sound like Platinum producer X over there.
Hip hop is such a divided culture nowadays; everyone has their definition of what "real" hip hop is. What is your perspective on this issue? What is "real" hip hop in your eyes?
It is divided, but I can't say what's real and what's not. I can tell you what I like and dislike, but to go as far as to say what is and what isn't real would be kinda hard for me cause I like too many different types of Hip Hop to define one kind as "real."
What would you like to accomplish in, and through, hip hop? More pointedly, what do you feel is the end, core purpose of you being an artist?
To be honest at the end of the day I want to make money LOL. Don't get me wrong, I love making music, but if it's not payin the bills than it's just a hobby, just like an artist who sells his paintings, this is my art so why not make something out of it?
Tell us about your greatest weaknesses as an artist - and brag about your greatest strengths.
Let's see, my greatest weakness as an artist would probably be my voice LOL. I got that white guy voice, not really nasally, but not as raspy as I would like to sound LOL. That and I think I am really insecure, so it rolls over into my music sometimes, I am getting better at it though. As for bragging about my strengths LOL hmmmm... I am a fast learner, and that helps when trying out different instruments like playing guitar or piano, and I honestly think that we can compare to the greats, lyrically and instrumentally. (How's that for Cocky? LOL).
What are some of the challenges of rhyming AND producing, verses doing one or the other?
I think in both the biggest challenge is coming out original, thinking outside of what's already out there and making it sound dope as hell but not going too far out the box where it comes out soundin corny. I hate when artists think just because it's "different" it's dope.
You aren't a solo artist. Tell us about your group, Will Strong. Who does it comprise of, and what are your respective roles? How does a Will Strong song come into existence? What would you say are the compromises that get made within a group dynamic? Fill us in on the positives and negatives of being in a group vs being a solo artist.
We started out originally as ChosenWords but just recently switched up the name to WillStrong. The group consist of myself and Cold Truth, we both produce the tracks and rhyme, when we make a track together it seems to just happen, I'll either be workin on something then Cold adds his touch, or the other way around. We seem to work really well together, I think because we have different outlooks on style, but when mixed together it comes out nice. You compromise a lot working together with a partner against workin on your own because you have two personalities, sometimes we have different opinions, but it always works out. When we write a rhyme to a beat, we usually have a basic concept of what the song is going to be about, then play around with ideas. I think the positives of being in a group is that you have more ideas and wider aspects on songs. The negative is that Cold is openly gay and I don't know if the hip hop world is ready for that yet - we'll see.
What does the immediate future have in store for both Vice Verse and Will Strong?
Well we hit the studio in about two-three weeks. We hope to get five songs done in that time - we technically have enough material for a full length CD, but we want to make sure everything is at its absolute best, so we will be recording the material that IS ready for now. From then on it's basically street teaming ourselves and trying to get some shows in So Cal. That's where it starts.
Do you have any affiliates? Anyone outside of WS who will be on the upcoming project?
Right now there is only one cat I know of that's for sure, his name is Bosta, we have a few more people in mind but not that many.
Sound off now, and get something off your chest. Anything goes.
(crickets)...........HI MOM!
Throw some love at some IllMuzik members. Whose got your ear in these parts?
I'm feelin Classic, Guevara, Nomics, and AshHolmz, at the moment, but for emcees that I've heard I like StressWon and Mercury Waters.
When your next kid is born, who will be his or her Godfather? No pressure now...
...LOL...
Does your mom know you're gay?
Your mom knows I'm not.
First thing's first: Tell us about ViCeVerSE the man. Who are you, what kind of personality you have, what is your day job, tell us a little about your family, what kind of childhood you had, etc...
Let's see... I am 22 years old, but sometimes I feel like I'm pushin 40. I guess I have an old soul, I say this because even though I am a young cat, I've done more than most guys my age. I have been married for 3 years now, and I have a 2 year old daughter with another on the way. Growing up in a small town in Southern California, we were your average poor family, single mom, welfare, drug dealing/doing siblings, drama 101. But that was all actually a blessing to me cause I seen what I didn't want to become, and it helped me to become a man. I got a job in high school, and dropped out my senior year cause I wanted to focus more time on music. Plus I needed to work full time, because my mom got sick and could no longer work, so I basically stepped up cause we had to eat. Anyways, fast forward to the present, I still work at the same place and over the past five years I worked my way up through the ranks and became manager - not by choice mind you, I only deal with the bullshit that goes on because I got my family to support now. If it wasn't for that, I would have bounced a long time ago.
As a father and husband, would you say that those things affect your outlook as a hip hop artist? If so, in what ways?
Maybe, maybe not, maybe fuck yourself. LOL. Yeah they do for a couple reasons, one is the time issue - if I didn't have a family I would have a lot more material. The second is content - I want to make music my daughter can listen to.
Tell us about your journey through hip hop - your earliest exposure to the art form, and your evolution from that starting point. Who are your major influences and favorite artists, in all genres?
I can't recall the first moment I was exposed to it, I think it was always kinda just there. I do remember in like 6th grade tryna write down BoneThugs lyrics, LOL. All the words were wrong, but I thought I sounded cool as hell rappin to the tape, so I took a boom box to school to show off... ahhh memories, LOL. Nah but around my junior high years I got into break dancing, (shout out to all the B-Boys and B-Girls.) I rented the movie Breakin and started to copy their moves, then progressed from there. I use to go to this local club to show off, that's where I met Cold Truth. I grew up listening to a lotta oldies and rock, some of my favorites were Zapp & Roger, Rolls Royce, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin. As for Hip Hop I was listening to N.W.A., Pac, L.L.Cool J, Snoop, Warren G., B.I.G, but as I got older I think I opened my mind up to a wider variety of music, so you can catch me listening to anything from Incubus to Nas to the Cranberries to Lupe Fiasco to you name it. Good music is good music, I don't really care what the genre is.
Tell us how you wound up producing beats and rhyming.
I first got into production when Cold brought over a Boss Dr 202, LOL. He was actually the first one to introduce me to underground hip hop. So anyway he had to Pawn that shit due to some financial hard times. I thought that was the end of that, but I still always had a passion for the music from that day on, about 7 months later, I saved up enough money to buy the equipment back from the Pawn Shop and that's where our quest began (cue the Star Wars music LOL.) We eventually upgraded, he bought an MPC 2000xl and I was blown away by it. I ended up borrowing some income tax money from my older sister to buy a Roland XP 30 keyboard, which I then traded some guy for a Korg Triton and $300.00. From there we had a little setup in my room, we were focused on producing, and I was actually slangin beats to some wack ass rappers - for $60 bucks a beat, I wasn't doin too bad LOL. Then once again I had some hard times, and I had to sell the Triton, I used the money for rent, food, bills and what was left over I bought a cheap acoustic guitar. So even though I gave up producing, I was always into music. From then on I had a lotta changes in my life, I had to basically weed out the bullshit and get focused. Cold got a computer and was showing me all the material he was workin on over the past couple years, I was like damn I gotta get back into the game, and then finally (actually like 4 months ago) I got a new comp with the hook ups.
Can you fill us in a little bit about your creative process? What equipment do you use, and what equipment have you used in the past?
At the moment I got a PC with Cubase SX3, an E-Mu Xboard, and a lotta VST's (Sonic Synth, Proteus, Absynth, Battery, Kontakt). I really am still just starting out, although I'm not new to producing, using a PC is way different from using hardware. As for my creative process, it's kinda weird, I think it just depends on the mood I'm in. I'll start with a drum pattern most of the time then proceed from there. If that doesn't work, I'll find a dope sample, then I just compose something over it. I'll take the sample out after making up my own melodies, and that usually gives me a good start. When making a beat with a partner, the process is a little different, cause you have a second opinion as you're making the beat - it kinda changes what you would have done on your own. When working on a song with Cold we usually take turns adding different elements, he'll start off with a drum pattern, then I'll add a melody or if he has a beat already in progress, I'm pretty good at coming in and composing some dopeness over it, and the other way around.
Now that we got the basics out the way, let's dig a little deeper. You're a white man in a culture created and dominated by African Americans. What advantages or disadvantages do you feel that gives you?
You sound like Barbara fuckin Walters LOL. I feel the disadvantage is that being white, people in the Hip Hop community take you as a joke (ie The White Rapper Show, Malibu's Most Wanted), which is totally understandable with what's been put out there, but it's almost like a stereotype. In a lotta cases these artists are trying to be something they aren't, and most people can see right through that. On the flip side the advantage is that though I am white, I feel like people will underestimate me and I will catch them off guard and they will respect the fact that I am just me, and hopefully they will enjoy the music I make, and not judge it on race.
What are your feelings regarding something like Ego Trip's The White Rapper Show? Do you feel it helps or hurt the perception of white artists in hip hop?
As much as I hate to say it, that show is very entertaining LOL. All the artists on there are really garbage, but the producers of the show did a good job picking the most entertaining personalities. As for helping or hurting the perception of a white artist, I think it doesn't do either. They are just playing off of the stereotype that is already out there so I cant be mad at them LOL.
What do you feel you can offer the culture? In what ways can the culture benefit from ViceVerse the man, producer, and MC? In what ways do you benefit from the culture?
I think that people can benefit from my music because it's not your average up in the club Hip Hop. I have a lot of things that I been through and came out okay, and I feel by sharing my story with others through music it will help to encourage them to not give up. With the production part, I feel as of late, a lotta the production out today is really weak and basic and even played out. I make music that I like, and I hope it will influence others to do what they like and not try to sound like Platinum producer X over there.
Hip hop is such a divided culture nowadays; everyone has their definition of what "real" hip hop is. What is your perspective on this issue? What is "real" hip hop in your eyes?
It is divided, but I can't say what's real and what's not. I can tell you what I like and dislike, but to go as far as to say what is and what isn't real would be kinda hard for me cause I like too many different types of Hip Hop to define one kind as "real."
What would you like to accomplish in, and through, hip hop? More pointedly, what do you feel is the end, core purpose of you being an artist?
To be honest at the end of the day I want to make money LOL. Don't get me wrong, I love making music, but if it's not payin the bills than it's just a hobby, just like an artist who sells his paintings, this is my art so why not make something out of it?
Tell us about your greatest weaknesses as an artist - and brag about your greatest strengths.
Let's see, my greatest weakness as an artist would probably be my voice LOL. I got that white guy voice, not really nasally, but not as raspy as I would like to sound LOL. That and I think I am really insecure, so it rolls over into my music sometimes, I am getting better at it though. As for bragging about my strengths LOL hmmmm... I am a fast learner, and that helps when trying out different instruments like playing guitar or piano, and I honestly think that we can compare to the greats, lyrically and instrumentally. (How's that for Cocky? LOL).
What are some of the challenges of rhyming AND producing, verses doing one or the other?
I think in both the biggest challenge is coming out original, thinking outside of what's already out there and making it sound dope as hell but not going too far out the box where it comes out soundin corny. I hate when artists think just because it's "different" it's dope.
You aren't a solo artist. Tell us about your group, Will Strong. Who does it comprise of, and what are your respective roles? How does a Will Strong song come into existence? What would you say are the compromises that get made within a group dynamic? Fill us in on the positives and negatives of being in a group vs being a solo artist.
We started out originally as ChosenWords but just recently switched up the name to WillStrong. The group consist of myself and Cold Truth, we both produce the tracks and rhyme, when we make a track together it seems to just happen, I'll either be workin on something then Cold adds his touch, or the other way around. We seem to work really well together, I think because we have different outlooks on style, but when mixed together it comes out nice. You compromise a lot working together with a partner against workin on your own because you have two personalities, sometimes we have different opinions, but it always works out. When we write a rhyme to a beat, we usually have a basic concept of what the song is going to be about, then play around with ideas. I think the positives of being in a group is that you have more ideas and wider aspects on songs. The negative is that Cold is openly gay and I don't know if the hip hop world is ready for that yet - we'll see.
What does the immediate future have in store for both Vice Verse and Will Strong?
Well we hit the studio in about two-three weeks. We hope to get five songs done in that time - we technically have enough material for a full length CD, but we want to make sure everything is at its absolute best, so we will be recording the material that IS ready for now. From then on it's basically street teaming ourselves and trying to get some shows in So Cal. That's where it starts.
Do you have any affiliates? Anyone outside of WS who will be on the upcoming project?
Right now there is only one cat I know of that's for sure, his name is Bosta, we have a few more people in mind but not that many.
Sound off now, and get something off your chest. Anything goes.
(crickets)...........HI MOM!
Throw some love at some IllMuzik members. Whose got your ear in these parts?
I'm feelin Classic, Guevara, Nomics, and AshHolmz, at the moment, but for emcees that I've heard I like StressWon and Mercury Waters.
When your next kid is born, who will be his or her Godfather? No pressure now...
...LOL...
Does your mom know you're gay?
Your mom knows I'm not.