MUSIC
Wordsmith is Making a STATEMENT
Seth Saltzman
Listen to a track from Wordsmith's new mixtape, "Statements and Stipulations"
So has your upbringing influenced your music?
Wordsmith: Well, my pops was in the army when I was growing up so I moved around a lot. It probably influenced my music because, music is music no matter what, but hip-hop in London is different from hip-hop in Germany and its different then what it’s like in the US right now. So every place I’ve lived in, I feel like I got a piece of that in me … I’ve been everywhere, man.
How and why did you actually begin to start making music?
Wordsmith: Probably when I living in Georgia, I got cool with a couple of the boys at school and rapped and I never really rapped before. But I got cool with them, so they kind of made me rap. That’s when I started rapping-rapping, but I’ve been doing it serious for about three to four years.
How far do you plan on taking your music and to what lengths are you willing to go to be heard?
Wordsmith: The ultimate goal, of course, is to get a record deal and be heard, but I just think in the day and age that we’re in now, we have to be businessmen. You saying what lengths would I go to, well, the length I go to is being fair. I don’t want to give up I feel like I’m owed. I got my own publishing company and I own all my own masters right now, trying to be a businessman. You got to be a businessman and an artist. You can’t just grind in the studio; you got to grind out there and make the connections and be a businessman. Of course I want to get to the ultimate goal, but I feel like it’s got to be on my terms.
What are some of the projects you have coming up and who are some of the people you’re working with on them?
Wordsmith: I just knocked out my first official mix album. 730 from HipHopGame is dropping that, big ups to him for opening the door for me. It’s dropping in January. Most of the project was produced by Sketchman from Germany. And another cat that worked real close named Stradi, he’s out of Canada. I like working with the international producers, man. Their beats got emotion, they’re detailed, and they’re true. Along with that I got a tour kicking off on December 30th down in Houston and it’s ending on January 27th ending up in NY. Check my website www.wordsmithmusic.com, for tour dates – it’s coming to a city near you.
Is there anyone, producer and emcee wise that you would like to work with that you haven’t already?
Wordsmith: Oh man, a couple. I like the old school heads, so I would like to do something with KRS-1, with Redman, with Rakim. Definitely Nas, I think we’re on the same level mind wise and the way we think and all that. The old school version of Public Enemy. And I’m gonna throw one in there that might be a surprise, 3rd Base was hot back in the day.
So on your new mix CD, Statements & Stipulations, what’s the meaning behind the title?
Wordsmith: Well, I kind of put two meanings in that. The Statements part of it, the new generation of emcees got to make a statement in the game and stop doing what we’ve been doing the past 4-5 years with rap, which is just flowing everything you got and showing off. Let’s go back to skills and actually putting time into making a masterpiece when you make an album. I feel like that’s what I want to bring to the game. With the Stipulations part, look, we got to do it this way from now on, we got to bring hip-hop back on the right path and do it this way. You not coming correct, you not coming with soul writing abilities, skills, all that, you don’t even need to come to the table … not no more.
What was your thought process with doing the four episodes on the album?
Wordsmith: Well, that portion right there, I’ve been a big fan of cartoons forever and I just wanted to make it into episodes where I play a rap superhero trying to save the game. I battle three different emcees, and you get four episodes, there are some twists in there, you gotta follow it throughout the whole album.
Did you take a different approach in making this CD then others you’ve made in the past?
Wordsmith: Oh, definitely. I wouldn’t say I revealed my true style, but this I kid of represented all of the places I’ve lived in. I got something for down south on there, stuff for the east coast in the clubs, NY, hard for NY. I just tried to touch different places I was in and take a little bit of my feel from there and what I do living in that place for a couple of years or so forth. I consider it a mix album because 730 is dropping it and because I’m giving you a mixture of styles.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Wordsmith: I’ve had probably had about 2 studio albums out by this time. And everybody wanna go platinum, and I wanna go platinum, but I’ll be satisfied with a masterpiece album, a classic album that’ll have longevity that you can go back to that only went gold. That’ll be good enough with me. I don’t need to be a huge celebrity; I just want to be comfortable. I want a nice house, two cars, share my money with people in my family that really need the money more than I do…I ant see myself living good…without the people living around me having that either.
Any last words of wisdom or shout outs?
Wordsmith: Just have an open mind with my music. True hip-hop heads, they gonna see the essence of the 90s lyrical skills, able to craft and put good songs together, have good songs. You not getting my classical flavor on this one, when I drop my studio album, you’ll get that. Also, I do some rock, too. I got a rock album called Rocksamentals, coming later. Shout out wise, Sketchman, Stradi, Demo, Trizza, Rams-H, definitely my parents, Michelle, my girl Zorrie, Blacknight, Contact Soul, 730, Street Level, MR. CRF, definitely big up to y’all, big up to Noyse Magazine, I definitely appreciate the love y’all giving me right now, 15 Short productions, DJ Big G, DJ Tactics, DJ Hagas, The Golden Child.
