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As a DJ, producer
and MC J Love is a throwback in a sense many younger cats may
not realize. Today we find a lot of specialization in the
elements of Hip-Hop; many people see DJs, MCs, b-boys,
producers, graff artists and urban entrepreneurs as distinctly
different from one another. They tend to characterize each group
as having its own separate identity, hierarchy and set of
procedures. This is, of course, in complete contrast to the way
Hip-Hop started. Back in the day the same cats would DJ, MC,
write graffiti, rock and bring the speakers for the party. Being
a triple threat was a minimum requirement as opposed to the rare
exception it is today. But while times have certainly changed,
there are always new lessons to be learned about what it takes
to succeed and earn respect among Hip-Hop’s elite. J Love makes
for an excellent case study. Recognize.
RiotSound: Where are you from originally?
J Love: Queens, New York.
R: How did you first get into music and what motivated you?
J: I always loved music since I was a kid. When I was first
exposed to Hip-Hop, I was in love. Listening to AJ Skratch and
La Di Da Di I was hooked. It was a good thing ‘cause I was like
too caught up in the music – it saved me from the streets. I was
fucking around in the streets and if it wasn’t for music, who
knows where I would be right now.
R: Unlike other mixtape DJs, you don’t seem to gravitate to
the artists that’s hot at the moment. How would you describe
your outlook as far as what you try to get across on one of your
mixtapes and what artists you tend to support?
J: I just try and keep my format the same. I never been a “dickrider”;
just ‘cause a certain artist is on top doesn’t mean his music is
bangin’. You have to impress me, so I look for what I like. It
may be a Jay-Z song one minute and a Large Professor song the
next; but to me it makes sense. I don’t try to support anyone
regularly, I just try and keep it real with myself. The way I
look at my CD is – would I listen to this if I was buying it? So
basically I’m making the CD for myself first and then everyone
else gets a copy too.
R: With mainstream rap music becoming so commercialized, do
you feel that the mixtape scene has really surged in recent
years since fans are looking for other ways to hear the type of
music they can’t find in stores or on the radio?
J: Shit, I mean some artists, if it wasn’t for the mixtapes they
would be dead. The radio only plays like 30 to 40 songs a day;
in 24 hours you gonna hear the same 30 to 40 songs – so that
means that’s 30 to 35 artists, depending if a certain artist has
two songs in rotation. So what can the rest do? They have to
look for other outlets and mixtapes supply that avenue. The
music game is very corny right now so a lot of artists are stuck
and don’t know what to do. But I’ma just be me and see how I
turn out.
R: Hidden Darts The Best Of Ghostface mixtape you did was
written up in XXL. At that time did that bring you a lot of
exposure and introduce you to people that otherwise might have
not known?
J: Maybe. I always had a nice following on the mixtape scene
since I first came into the game, so it’s hard to say. But, I
mean, look at that CD – Ghost wasn’t even hot at the time.
Bulletproof Wallets came out and people wasn’t really feeling
him like that, the album didn’t even do good. Jay-Z was the
nigga at the time; but I went against the grain and was like –
ya’ll missing something right here, this is that shit you need
in your life – the review was a shock but like I knew the CD was
hot when I did it, so people had to recognize.
R: In recent years you have been getting more and more into
production, doing tracks for Large Professor, Cormega and Masta
Ace, among many others; as a producer where would you like to be
and where do you see yourself several years from now?
J: Well, what a lot of people don’t know is that in like ’97 I
had an album deal to produce a compilation LP. I had completed
it and had crazy artists on it. Tragedy, Cormega, Large
Professor, Smif & Wessun, Brand Nubian, Guru, Inspektah Deck, OC,
Masta Ace; there was more but that’s all I remember right now.
But shit didn’t work out over there and I’m not the type of cat
to let someone put my livelihood in their hands, so I took my
reels [two inch tapes], contracts and broke the fuck out from
the label.
I think its just now that I am getting a little more recognized
for the beats but I always loved beats, that’s my favorite shit
right there. That’s why I am about to put a CD out called Better
Your Life with 25 songs that I produced, just so I could
showcase my production skills and niggaz see what time it is
really. I even have a few tracks on there rhyming, so I’ma
surprise a lot of people. As for the future, I just want to be
respected as an ill nigga in the game; like yo – he really do
his thing in everything he does. Just the props and respect; I
mean getting paid helps it all the more but respect is the first
and foremost.
R: Being a supporter of the Wu, how did you feel about Ol’
Dirty Bastard’s passing? What was your reaction when you first
heard about it? What was it like making that tribute CD?
J: That shit was crazy to me. Ol’ Dirty was always my favorite
in the group, that shit had me sad. I always felt he never
reached his full potential and now he was out of jail and back
rhyming again and it just came at a fucked up time, mad love
goes out to the Wu. Definitely went and repped for the nigga,
went to his wake and all. I felt like I keep losing MCs I really
have mad love for, Big Pun, Big L and now Ol’ Dirty. It was
crazy but that’s life, things happen; what can you do? But when
I did that tribute CD I just wanted it to come off correct. Mad
DJs ran out and did some corny CDs so they could get a little
money real quick right after his death – but that shit is weak
to me. I am paying homage to a great artist, shit is genuine
with me.
R: How come you have never done a best of Gangstarr mixtape?
Is that something you may do in the future?
J: Yes sir, definitely part of the Legends Series coming up in
the future.
R: You pride yourself on getting all the rare, hard to find
joints on your mixtapes. A lot of times you hear about rivalries
between mixtape DJs as far who got the best exclusives. Are
exclusives really that important to crafting a good mixtape or
is it something that some people tend to blow out of proportion?
J: Well, now-a-days it is – ‘cause all these top mixtape cats –
without the exclusives what else does their CD consist of?
That’s why I try and stay away from that, ‘cause I have all the
same exclusives all these DJs have but half the time the songs
suck. I’m not making a CD just for the playlist to have big
names on it – but that’s how the majority of these DJs do it.
It’s pathetic if you ask me.
R: Before you started making mixtapes and producing, were
there any DJs and producers that you looked up to? Who are some
of the DJs and producers out now that you can say you have
respect for?
J: Plenty, as far as DJs, Kid Capri, Marley Marl, Red Alert,
Chuck Chillout. Producers who I looked up to and still do to
this day are Rza, Large Professor, DJ Premier, Beatnuts, Diamond
D, Showbiz, Lord Finesse, Peter Rock, Havoc, Alchemist is nice
too. I know there is a few I am missing but that’s of the top
right now.
R: What up and coming MCs are you feeling at the moment?
J: Game is kind of ill, Killa Sha, J Hood, La The Darkman – he’s
not new but he has some heat; Mayhem, my nigga Raze, Exquizite,
even J Love.
R: As far as J Love, what should the fans be looking out for?
J: Like I said I have that Better Your Life CD coming out real
soon with 25 bangerz from top to bottom, no weak links – so be
on the lookout for that and the mix CDs at your local
bootlegger.
R: Do you think you will ever stop making mixtapes and just
produce?
J: Maybe, if the mix CD game keeps going the way it is. It’s too
overcrowded right now, there’s a new mixtape DJ everyday, shit
is horrible. But for now I’m not going anywhere so rest assured
I’m here to make life hard for the fag DJs.
Shout out to RiotSound for having me for the interview and keep
checking the website -
www.J-LoveOnline.com is about to undergo a major redesign;
also scoop that Better Your Life CD coming out real soon. |
