MUSIC
Love Hip-Hop again with Inkwizitive
Josh Brown
Check out a sample of Ink's skills...
Check out Inkwizitive's website and find out more...
So let’s start with the basics here. How long have you been rapping?
Inkwizitive: Well, well, well. Rapping seriously around four years now, I have been writing since age ten. Stories, poetry, that sort of thing. I have books and books of poems, and I was obsessed with Emily Dickinson so I always had to rhyme my poems. Rhyming shows a command for the huge English language we have. There are enough words to say exactly what you need to say in rhymes. To me, that is what hip-hop is all about: beautiful, rhyming poetry.
How did you get started in the game?
Inkwizitive: When I was a kid, I was never allowed to listen to hip-hop. My step dad was really strict and only liked country music. Therefore, I was only permitted to listen to country music. Spawned out of this, when I was fourteen, my friend’s dad got a free tape from a music club and didn’t want it. It was Notorious B.I.G. – “Ready to Die”. Needless to say I was hooked from then on. Here was a way to get out my anger AND bring my poetry to life! That was the day Inkwizitive was born.
Who and/or what influences your work?
Inkwizitive: That’s a tough question and I don’t think any server’s bandwidth could handle that much input. Ha. I had a real horrible childhood. I was beaten, molested, and emotionally tortured among other things. I couldn’t wait to turn eighteen. That was freedom. Needless to say, living in that house, I am the walls that talk and I will never run out of inspiration or stories to tell.
What kind of radio play have you gotten thus far?
Inkwizitive: Zilch in the good ole U. S. of A. I am a rising star from down under though. (no pun intended) I have been played four times a night for three different songs in Australia on ILR for the last three months and counting. That seems to be my biggest fan base as of yet. I also play on radio stations in Portugal, England, Spain, Germany, Luxembourg and France. It is all coming together slowly but surely. I have a definite desire to play in America though, and I am ready when the time and opportunity comes along.
How many shows have you done?
Inkwizitive: About five so far. A few in Pittsburgh, and I am doing my second show in Los Angeles on August 23rd at Universal Bar and Grill in North Hollywood. I am really just starting in this aspect of the game. I love being on stage and rocking the crowd though. Once my album is finished, I plan on doing a tour of the entire west coast.
Where did your name, ‘Inkwizitive’ come from?
Inkwizitive: in-quis-i-tive Pronunciation Key (n-kwz-tv) adj.
1. Inclined to investigate; eager for knowledge.
2. Unduly curious and inquiring.
wiz-ard Pronunciation Key (wzrd) n.
1. One who practices magic; a sorcerer or magician.
2. A skilled or clever person
3. A sage.
I started out as Realeti in 2000 because my real last name is Reale, but I love wizards and ink. In fact, I always have to type my verses after the fact because I love pens and writing with ink. Most times, I write with fountain pens, on the old school tip. Handwriting is a dying art. So, naturally I am the personification of the two definitions above. I am the ink wiz/wizard of ink/inquisitive wizard. Thus the spelling as well…ink…wiz…itive.
Your self titled EP is out. Any plans on coming out with a full LP?
Inkwizitive: Yes! “The Ink Spot” is due out in late 2006/early 2007. I am trying to decide track amount and artwork. Trivial things though, as about 80 percent of the album is done. I am sickly excited too. It is sounding great even without polish or mastering. I think it is what a lot of hip-hop and even non-hip-hop fans have been waiting for. I want to take it back to the beginning when rap meant something more than being flashy. It was based on skills, and emotion, and passion most of all. I want to bring the passion back. The fans deserve it. They are paying full price for half assed CDs.
Are you in talks with any labels at all, trying to get signed?
Inkwizitive: I was approached by Def Jam after my first show in Los Angeles. The deal was good, but I can’t give up control. I have a vision for where inkwizitive needs to be. I would need other people to agree with that vision. Plus, I am kind of shopping around right now. Just fishing to see who’s biting. I would like to be independent or at least with an off kilter label. Hip-hop labels are overcrowded. I would much rather be on a punk label or somewhere that the fan base is open and different to new styles of all music. Well, if I don’t ever find that though, I will start wiz ink. records and develop everything myself. After about a 1000 live shows I would be able to be the name on the tip of everybody’s tongue.
Your slogan is “Love Hip-Hop Again…”. Explain that to me if you will.
Inkwizitive: Think about it…hip-hop is only 30 years old. Compared to most other styles of music, rap is the baby of the bunch. Beginning in the late 70’s, popular in the early 80’s, rap was loved by all open people. It was keeping the party going, it was a new type of music entirely. No one had ever heard such sounds and rhythms. Every song had substance, and passion. Every song had a purpose. Flash forward to present time. Rap is polluted. It is a hyped up, stripped down version of what it once was. When rappers stopped making good music, a lot of folks stopped listening. Now there are fans of commercial rap because it’s easy. They don’t have to read in to anything. There are no hidden messages. The only messages and images that come through are expensive cars, guns, women, name-calling, clothes, champagne, and weed to name just a few. It is a constant though. Everything sounds the same. Saying “Love Hip-Hop Again” is just a call to anyone who gave up on rap for the aforementioned reasons. There IS hope and I want everyone to love hip-hop again. Each person has their own reasons, but I hope I can reach every underground hip-hop fan, every commercial hip-hop fan, and everybody in between to show them to love hip-hop again and again and again.
You have a very unique style. How do you define yourself as an artist?
Inkwizitive: Thank you. I pride myself on having a unique style. I feel that I have something different to offer this world. It also makes me feel I was put on this planet to do this. Reaching people in every way possible. Relating to music on a personal and global level. Defining myself as an artist is the harder question. Sometimes, I don’t even like saying I am hip-hop. That narrows it too much. I would just like to be known as a guy who makes good music. Period. No matter what it is categorized as.
“The Break Up Song” is on your EP… Is there any truth behind it, or just music?
Inkwizitive: Nothing I do is just music. There is always something underlying. Some trial I have been through, a trial someone I know has been through. In this particular case, I was in a bad relationship for three years. The Break-Up song was a end to a beginning and a beginning to an end. Also, I thought that everyone has gone through something like that. Why not make a song they can put on when they are mad or frustrated and just vent. You “Break Up” with whatever ails you at that moment and get lost in the song.
What type of challenges and road blocks have you run into thus far?
Inkwizitive: Mostly time and energy. I am a human being and I have bills and work two jobs to pay them. Then, I come home and turn into Inkwizitive. Business, writing, recording, website, promotion, relations, and sweat all the time. My car doesn’t work all the time. My mood isn’t great all the time either. I forge through though, as it will all be worth it in the long run. Inkwizitive is Joe Reale’s saving grace.
Where do you see Inkwizitive in five years?
Inkwizitive: On top of the world. A fan in every house on every continent. If there’s aliens in outer space, I want them to be fans too! In the end, simply a symbol of triumph in a world of defeat.
Anything you want to add to this?
Inkwizitive: For everything ink … www.inkwizitive.com. To get the EP, www.cdbaby.com/inkwizitive. Yeah, special thanks to you Josh and The Noyse for being true to what’s real in today’s music scene. Thanks to anyone who has bought or will buy an Inkwizitive CD. It’s all for you. Please Love Hip-Hop Again. “The Ink Spot” is coming soon, please check the website for updates on that and upcoming shows as well. Anyone can feel free to e-mail me at ink@inkwizitive.com. I always remain accessible. Thanks again for listening and keep those ears and eyes open. I’m going to be here a while. Speak Truth. Peace.
