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 Cannibal Ox Interview - Page 2
interview 0066 added 29.05.01 words SuMo KaPlUnK
[Vordal] I’m Vordal, Vordal Megala from Cannibal Ox, representing from Uptown born and raised! Came From Harlem where I met Vast my rap partner. We came up with the Atoms family ‘n things - you ever heard of them? We came up under that. We been rhyming for about ten years together and for the last three years we finally got the opportunity to work together as a group you know what I’m saying? ‘cus we came from a whole coalition and now we just a duo. So we got that opportunity and we formed Cannibal Ox through the proposal of El-P coming to us saying he wanted to lace production for us. We’ve just been doing that for the past two years and we been recording for like a year ‘n change and we’ve finished the album “The cold vein” which is a concept that came from like using a vein as a term as us being blood-cells in a vein trying to get through it you know and like peeping the movement on the streets from the viewpoint of that vein. We got the “Cold” to represent the temperature, the levels of what we going through in that vein you know what I’m saying? And then we’ve just been collabin, just making tracks and performing, promoting, doing our thing, meeting a lot of open-minded people from different aspects of music and just speaking to people - like you - got any questions?
So tell me more about the creative relatinships and processes within the Atoms family -and Can. Ox?..
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[Vordal] Yeh, there’s been projects been made separately like Vast - and we both do Atoms tracks as well as Cannibal Ox tracks forever - but the only tracks that’s been made is always family orientated in some sense.
What would you say is your mission if you have one?
[Vordal] I would say….I dunno, I just wanna keep writing man I just want to keep writing and stay focused with that. And just keep dropping that food for peple to eat up! We try to keep on certain levels of having fun and be conscious at the same time - that’s about it - I try to maintain. Word.
[Vast] Word. We love life yo! We’ve got close friends, We try to love life and live y’know.
[Vordal] It’s a secret society
[Vast] hehehe - it’s just a secret society of people who appreciate just peace man -
[Vordal] That’s what Our community is all about man…just lounging man -
[Vast] We know how to handle the knuckleheads when they come! We know how to handle the negative but we don’t wanna do that! We never wana do that but we will protect ourselves when we have to because we grown men you know what I’m saying? But yo, we all about peace. Man. We’re all about having fun and just seeing the next day and getting enlightened man - it’s like I like looking at my neice’s smile yo! I like just enjoying that pure moment of a young kid who don’t know how to lie, don’t know how to steal, don’t know how to - you know what I mean? It’s just a peaceful being yo…
...we came from a whole coalition and now wejust a duo. So we got that opportunity and we formed Cannibal Ox through the proposal of El-P coming to us saying he wanted to lace production for us...
When you’re performing on Stage, how do you feel - like vulnerable? Enpowered? What?
[Vordal] Yeh yeh definitely! I feel like I be blacking out sometimes! - You ever heard that term - hey you know. It’s like a performance zone you know what I’m saying; you getting into your lyrics, you getting into the music and you zone out! That’s all I can do when it comes to performing. But yeh, I do feel exposed definitely - Brothers be mad sherbed up and things! Heheheheheh!
[Vast] heheheh I don’t feel nuttin’ man - I just hop on that stage DUH DA DAH! Nah but seriously, I’m just getting prepared to just zone out. I’m just getting prepared to blackout and fall into my lyric meditation. I know the joints I’m doing, I love the beats that I’m going to do them on - what else is there? I got friends family here and I’m making money, I’m zoning out - Imma just have fun and have a good show I’m feeling this stage right here - it’s nuts - we gonna do our thing tonight!
[Vordal] No doubt. That’s the ill stage - that’s an intimate stage right there. Up in Leo’s Lounge with my man Dino!
Hehehhee! When will yu two consider yourselves to be a success?
[Vordal] I wuld say “Success” would be determined as -
[Vast] It’s more than survival - you got a house, you got a car, y’know - you’re not stressing bills, - not millionaires but not bums. We’re two humble cats we just wanna be able to live good enough to survive and do our thing. I think we’ll be there in a couple of years - it’s not hard. A time when we don’t have to stress over every move. Stress….sWe should be there in a couple of years because we’ve put in a lot of work. We’ve been doing this for many years together.
What was it in the first place that made you say “yeh, I want to do this?”
[Vast] It’s a childhood passion that turned into a job. If I was going to have to do something then Imma do what I love Right?
[Vordal] We came up from comic books, sci-fi flicks and things to that nature and that’s what grafted and crafted our imagination for the raps I feel. And when we started it was just a hobbey thing - we wasn’t thinking about making money of it or supporting ourselves with it. We always had an independent mind with it - we was always on the streets and going to performing clubs - The Nuyorican Poets Café right on 3-rd Street right there in Alphabet City - that’s where we was at all the time trying to get performances and that’s how we established our performance zone and all those things..
...We try to be more distinctive on how we pick up on the godly things and things beyond our understanding...
And do you think you’ll be able to balance the artistry and the industry?
[Vordal] And make compromises you saying? Yeh there’s certain compromises but we use them to make balances for everything - we’re coming up through some raw times man - not having money and just being established financially - we got a lot of family around us and a lot of peple supporting us and we real humble so we just accepting everything as it comes. We just supporting each other and trying to get shows out there - we’re just heads just trying not to be stressed y’know. Certain things do stress a head tho y’know.
Drugs in hiphop yeh, it’s something that seems to go in and out of fashion in hiphop’s spotlight -
[Vast] hehehehehhe
There’s the purist movement that says “No drink, no drugs, “ and then you’ve got the Eminems, the Redmans, and the Xzibits high on Shrooms ‘n that - where do stand on this -
[Vast] Man I’m drugged up right now man!!! Let me tell you somemat man. That’s a lifestyle. First of all, that’s a straight up lifestyle that has nothing to do with hiphop. People might try and make it “hiphop” they might try and imply it’s “hiphop” but it’s not. Some people are sober: some peple are not. Do you, if I like fat greenery and a great brown leaf, don’t get mad at me! If someone wanna smoke a lil’ Cheebas or drink a lil or urbs - or whatever people do to pain kill, yo man, respect that person’s boundaries. - It’s not like I’m “Yo you’re sober! You’re Sober! Urgh! Kill him!” - We aint like that but we don’t like when people come on some [In a winging tone] “I don’t curse! I don’t smoke! I don’t drink!” - well OK, what else don’t you do!? Who cares, get the fuck off the stage! Hehehe!
OK, going on from that question about lifestyle - let’s talk religion - two of my fave artists recently have been Braille and Labtekwon. Braille’s a white Christian due
[Vast] Wow!
And Labtek’s reppin’ The Nation of Gods and Earths. I think they’re both incredible artists but it screws with my mind yeh with all these opposed value systems - do you subscribe to any particular value system yourselves?
[Vast] Yes and no. I believe I’m a spiritual person but I left religion at the age of 19. I believe in God and I believe that there’s such a thing as a spiritual essence that makes us what we are but religion is twisted and confusing so I left it alone. I’m more of a…I like to create theories - I’m a philosopher you know. I’m not on a book , thinking that every sentence in it is 100% true - I’m not on that. I’m into some of that is true and you can connect a lot of that with more other things that are true but that’s it; it’s not the end-all of all. That’s where I stand; I dunno where Vordal stands? I mean I know where he stand but I’d rather let him answer that.
[Vordal] It’s pretty much the same thing as Vast laid it down -
[Vast] Yeh! Yeh!
[Vordal] It’s just more spiritual than anything -
[Vast] yeh We’re gonna deal with religion - we did that!
[Vordal] We try to be more distinctive on how we pick up on the godly things and things beyond our understanding.
[Vast] You’ll hear Allah, you’ll hear Jah, you’ll hear Jesus - I talk on - I bring ‘em all up! You’ll hear Neptune - you’ll hear it all b! You’ll hear thor - because I studied most of them and it thrills me that they’re all different but yet all the same so I deal with none; I just learn from all of them. We just students of life really.
So I take it from that that you’d have no problem sharing a stage or working with people who subscribe to other belief systems?
[Vast] No, not at all. I work with people of different nationalities - why would I segragate a belief? Unless their belief is harming me - if it’s not harming me or anyone close to me I’m going to work with them. They can keep they belief and do whatever they wanna in their spare time.
...Word. We love life yo! We’ve got close friends, We try to love life and live y’know...
[Cannibal Ox/Hanger 18/Atoms Family's deejay returns from the bar with a drink for me - cheers man, I owe you one!!] Sips, can you remember your first mix?
[Sips] My first mix? My first pair of doubles, my first two records were these Run DMC records basically.
What’s the most extreme thing you’ve ever tried to pull off?
[Sips] Hmmmmm [at this point, the club's deejay fucks up and the music crashes] - I think that was it man! That's my best mix - nah, I basically had doubles of some like very fast drums. I tried to slow them down and make them like into a hiphop beat. It sounded kinda like a merge of Jungle and hiphop. I did it one time during a show…I was a little bit drunk that night but it came out good.
Do you subscribe to the titles “Deejay” or “Turntablist?”
[Sips] I guess I consider myself both. I guess if you consider yourself a “turntablist” then you’re automatically a “Deejay.” -
[Vast] I’m a rapper and an emcee -
[Sips] Whatever that means?
[Vast] Yeh, whatever that means… It’s just slang or terminology - he’s nasty on the ones and twos and that’s why he’s behind us two and that’s how it goes down on the one and two! Heheheh.
Any mix tapes out?
[Sips] Right now I have no mixtapes out but I will hopefully have by the summer time. I’ve never had the actual equipment to put together mixtapes professionally, I’ve only concentrated on just having stuff that sounds good for individual shows or just routines or just for fun basically. I’ve never decided to put my marketing genius into work hehehhe…
So what’s your day job?
[Sips] My day job is…I work in a company; I do their accounting. I’m not an “accountant” but I do accounting type work.
Would you like their to be a point where you could give up the day job -
[Sips] That point is within sight. That point is coming up soon.
Is that a happy thought?
[Sips] It’s a very happy thought. At the same time it’s a tough decision to make to just give up something that’s just so steady and solid and set but I’d rather do something that’s the fun of my life.
He’s on in the background right now - the new KRS - Have you heard the album? What do you think of it?
[Sips] Unfortunately I haven’t heard the new album man - I’m just a deejay - I’m not the kind of deejay who heard every single thing or who has every single thing. But yo, this the KRS album? What do I think? Sounds dope!
It has come to my knowledge that when out with the Def Jux crew last week some no-mark moron assaulted Vordal leaving him with a broken arm and jaw. I don’t know (or want to know) the hows and whys surrounding this sad news but I would like to convey my sympathies to Vordal and wish him a speedy recovery. Cannibal Ox’s debut album “The cold vein” is now out and it’s a test on your mental stamina that’s as dope as it is demanding. If you haven’t already done so, you need to cop this classic in the making PDQ because it’s going to have you feeling reverberations and repercussions for a good while to come! Thanks to Vast, Vordal and Sips for chatting with me.
  
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