Am 18. April sollten ONYX & Lords Of The Underground mit ihrer energiegeladenen Show den Bielefelder Lokschuppen zum Überkochen bringen. Shit, wäre das geil geworden! Aber die Folgen von Corona machen auch nicht vor Hip-Hop-Legenden Halt. Das Interview, das Lord Jazz von LOTUG uns im Vorfeld gab, wollen wir euch natürlich dennoch nicht vorenthalten.
Does your new track „Insomniac“ embodies the vibe of your upcoming album?
I believe Insomniac does embodie the feeling of this new album of Boom Bap beats with soothing and energetic loops provided by the Snowgoons.
When I mentioned LOTUG towards my friends, they were very enthusiastic. How do you explain your ongoing popularity to yourself? Is the album title „So Legendary“ based on your status?
How do i explain my popularity?I explain it as longevity..its easy to make one hit but to be still be doing it for 30 years is a long time of passion and dedication. We believe we are legends in this game because of what we put in it .We risk our lives flying all over the world to feed our fans.
The members of LOTUG live in different countries. How did you manage the production? Did you keep the music production old school?
We all live in three different places but that doesnt stop us from recording. The Snowgoons actually produced the whole project, we just picked the beats we all liked.The beats do have an old school feel but 2020 versions lol.
Who other than the LOTUG crew has contributed to your album?
The only group that’s featured on this album is Onyx! We all met up in Germany while on tour. Our tour manager connected us all up while we were touring but we knew Onyx since the 90s. Those are our bros.
„So legendary“ will be released on Goon Musick. The label has the slogan „We Keep Hip Hop Alive.“ How did you get in touch?
I lived in Paris France from 2000 – 2012 and I’ve DJ'd all over Europe and I used to run into DJ Illegal and the crew and they were always cool. I like their music and my man Carlos (Latfro Agency) hooked it up. These guys do keep hip hop alive in well in Europe and I love that!
How did you team up with ONYX?
How did we hook up with Onyx, well we go waaaay back with these dudes like 1993 we are 2 of the famed groups from that era. We were on tour with Latfro Agency in Germany and they were too, so why not collab on something and give the fans what they want? We never really recorded with other groups a lot because we believed that our fans wanted just us, because back in the day I hated when an artist or group had more featurings than solo songs.
You said in an interview with britishhiphop.co.uk in 2007, that „Everybody sounds the same today.“ Do you still share this opinion?
Yes, since 2007 to now everyone still sounds the same to me. Maybe the beats are lil different but overall, everyone is the same lol. Trap music is still on top and everybody wants to do what’s hot I guess. There’s no soul in the music, but then again they don’t play the good stuff that I like. There is lots of great music out here, you just have to find it yourself. It’s almost like Diggin for loops, you have to get out there and search!
Are there any german hip hop/rap artists you pay special attention to?
As far as german hip hop, I’m not really into it but I’m sure there are some great artists thats doing the damn thang! I love the fact that hip hop is so global and the number 1 music in the world.
The „So Legendary Tour 2020“ is going to take you to Britain, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and France. Which cuisine on tour you will probably prefer the most?
Which cuisine will i prefer? France of course! thats my second home, my wife and kids were born in Paris so France is in my heart forever.
What do you suggest to young people who want to become a professional hip hop artist? Do you think today's technology and the endless possibilities of the internet are benefits for people starting off?
I would suggest anyone trying to get in the industry to NOT do it for the money because when your trying to make money first before the art you get stagnant or lazy and just do whatever everyone else is doing.You need to not be afraid of being yourself, and do what your heart is telling you. I believe this will keep hip hop alive and vibrant. I do believe the technology is making everyone believe they can produce and record lol but its not for everyone, there are so many MCs and DJs now – it’s crazy! There’s no more fans cause everyone is doing it. Eventually the bad ones get weeded out and the pure passionate performers will get through. You have to stay persistent and patient if you want to succeed in this game and put out quality music.
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