2012 is already off to a good start, especially for my iPod. With the release of Happy New Year 2012 by Julian Nagano, I was introduced to producer & emcee Hanzo Reiza. Representing London, Hanzo Reiza produces music with character and soul. Like his namesake, Hanzo’s music is a little unorthodox, and at times even a little quirky–sampling everything from scenes of Samurai flicks he’s fond of to looping snippets of old throw back R&B jams and incorporating them into his beats and songs.  I’ve been listening to a handful of his tracks for about a week and a half now, so I figured, “Hey…first interview of 2012? Why not.”

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That’s Paul, but you might know him as Adam Warlock or Nasa. You should be familiar with this fella by now. He’s a man of many trades, and he holds it down in New York. He has his hands in production, around mics, and he runs a label. He has also mixed some of your/my favorite, and well-liked, early Definitive Jux releases (such as Cannibal Ox‘s “The Cold Vein” and Aesop Rock‘s “Bazooka Tooth“). Dope, right?! And, as I’ve already mentioned, he’s the founder behind the independent, progressive hip hop label Uncommon Records. I hear you saying “ohhhhhhhh” right about now.

Whether you’re in tune with his work or not, I suggest that you read my interview with him. We discussed musical subjects ranging from his most recent albums (“Dark Weapons (From Mars)“, “Toxicology Music“, and his last pop-up album), upcoming projects, how he and Cirrus started Uncommon, the hard work that goes into running a label, and his time working with Def Jux as the recording engineer. He also dished out his thoughts on Occupy Wall Street. At one point, I asked him to bust out a haiku about Heavy D, and he took an uncommon approach (accidental, but shhh) of doubling the syllable pattern. Heavy haiku (11-14-11 pattern) for the overweight lover. Yeeeeeah, stuff like that. Read on!
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Previously known as Chikatetsu, Julian Nagano recently released his first mixtape of 2011 titled best kept secret. The 8 track mini-mixtape introduced a new sound from him which showcases the many facets of his music. Having first been introduced to Julian’s music via JPM by friend to the site, Sonny B, I’ve had this new mixtape on repeat for the past couple weeks since it’s release. With it’s play count rising in iTunes, I decided it was only right that I hit Julian up for a little Q&A. Read on for the interview.

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With their recent release Radio, RUDE PAPER’s Koonta & RD are stirring up the airwaves and banishing the monotony of  mainstream K-pop. With elements of reggae and electronica, hip-hop and R&B, this unique pair is moving towards a new horizon in the Land Of The Morning Calm. But for fans who are not familiar, RUDE PAPER seems to be much of an enigma. Who are these two creative young men? Well, they took some time out of their busy schedule to answer some questions with me, here for CrayonBeats. Read on for one of my personal favorite interviews, and get to know a little more about the guys behind RUDE PAPER.

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Meet Matt… known better as MC Homeless. He grew up going to punk shows and singing in grindcore bands before connecting with hip hop, but hip hop was present in his life from the get-go. From Youngstown, Ohio, Homeless dropped his first full-length album, “Trapped Under an Ohio Sky” in 2007, on DIY Bandits. In November 2010, he released his sophomore album, “27“, on Milled Pavement. It featured guest appearances from Brzowski, Ira Lee, zoën, Riddlore, and Mesparrow. You might remember CB reviewing that album, too. He has toured internationally, as well as around the United States, with acts such as Brzowski, Moshe, Riddlore, Ceschi, The Coup, Lifesavas, Existereo, Nomar Slevik, Grand Buffet, K-The-I???, Awol One, and many others. He just recently got off of touring and playing at SXSW, so I had the pleasure of interviewing him. Check it out, as we discuss the bands he’s in, his album “27″, tour stories, upcoming projects, and more.
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Adam Wallenta, also known as ILLUS, has been independently making music and illustrating comics since the early 90s. He has recorded and toured with artists such as Chuck D and Public Enemy, R.A. the Rugged Man, Dilated Peoples, Blackalicious, and DJ Johnny Juice. Let me bring you up to date with his latest album (hear other releases here). In January of 2010, he released, “Feel Good Music“. It has a total of 7 tracks and they were produced entirely by Brooklyn’s J.J. Brown. The legendary Chuck D even said it was “one of the best albums of 2010″. If you haven’t heard it yet, I suggest you go listen to it (then buy it!) — guaranteed to make ya feel good. Not only does Illus have his hands in music and hip hop, but he’s also a self proclaimed comic book geek and he’s an artist. Ever heard of the Public Enemy comic book series / graphic novel? Yep, illustrated by Adam Wallenta. He also has various other comic books (Soulan, The Retributors, Adam & Bryon, and others), so be sure to check those at his American Mule site. He has also had his work shown in galleries, he has worked at Marvel Comics, he’s done album covers for artists (J-Live’s “Undivided Attention“, J.J. Brown’s “Connect the Dots“, his own “Feel Good Music“), designed t-shirts, painted portraits, editorials, and more.

Read the interview below as we discuss his music, the “Feel Good Music” album, art, comic books, his upcoming album (slated for March), and some other stuff…
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Representing San Jose, California, is rapper and producer Rey Resurreccion. I first heard of him when I came across the remix Nima Fadavi did of “Spaceships” back in July 2010. In combination with Nima’s beat, Rey‘s lyrics and laid back approach pulled me in and pushed me to do a Google search for more of his music. That then lead me to songs from his independent 2009 release, “Limitless“. After that, I was a fan.

Just this November, Rey Resurreccion dropped his “Sleeping Giants” album with Clout Magazine, and made it available for a free download in December. Something for the people. If you haven’t grabbed that yet, you should. It’s a really dope album all the way through. He brought in a lot of heads holding it down in San Jose / the Bay Area in terms of guest spots, production, and cuts. Names like E.Sik, Oneself DaVinci, Paulie Rhyme, Matty Slims, Solis Cin, DJ Cutso & DJ Squareweezy (of The Bangerz), Nima Fadavi, Chexmex, Barry Bones, and more.

With two albums under his name, a mixtape for Cukui, doing prouction for other musicians… Rey is well on his way to help San Jose get more recognition. Enough talking, let’s get into the FIRST interview of 2011…
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L-R: Ven, Young'N, Gimm!박사, Kimm, New Champ, Wu-Tan & ZS

We brought in this year with our exclusive interview with Gimm!박사, and have since kept in close contact with our musically inclined friend. Back then, Gimm let us know about future projects he was working on, including writing and producing for several other artists. Also, he’s graced us with his first English language song for our site’s mixtape: Primary Colors (Vol. 1), which featured artists BB and New Champ. Now, it’s the end of the year, and we’re bringing you guys another exclusive interview with Kpop’s newest buzz: New Block Babyz. If you’re a fan of Kpop, you’ve probably heard a lot of noise recently surrounding these cats. From YouTube, twitter, blogs, and music forums alike, fans are in a frenzy over this new mixed gender crew of MCs and R&B crooners. Each member, immensely talented in their own right, comes together to form a fresh new sound and concept  which beckons for everyone’s attention. The members of NBB, all in their mid to late 20s, may be young, but their musical prowess should serve as a sneak peek as to what the future of Korean Urban Pop music holds. Young’N, Ven, New Champ, Wu-Tan, Kimm, Gimm, and ZS make up the members of NBB, and also of several spin off groups, all of which each member seems to float in and out of seamlessly. This new crew definitely breaks the stereotype of what many are used to when they think of Kpop groups, but that’s what makes them so unique. Ladies and gents, read on as we get to know New Block Babyz!

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