Here's something a new little babies!

This past week I was haunted by west coast gangster rap. Everywhere I turned I got hit in the face with NWA. Quite frankly, I've never been a fan but at one point I thought...God is trying to tell me something. (I get divine messages through early 90s hip hop)

So after finally having enough with being phonically assaulted, I turned to one of my dearest friends Matt Ford (most widely known as Project Matt) and asked him WHAT'S UP WITH THIS?

But seriously. He had such knowledgeable and interesting things to say that I decided that I thought I should probably share it. If it's all right with you all, I think I may do this more often.

We: GOOD MORNING MATT! What are your thoughts on gangster rap?
Btw. I’m posting this conversation on my blog.
Matt: You’re asking me?
Yeah.
I think it’s getting boring.
I mean like NWA era gangster rap.
Amazing.
See I'm not a fan. But I feel I may be missing something.
I listened to straightedge hardcore when people were listening to NWA.
For me its the beat primarily that irks me. I can’t get down with it.
I was listening to En Vogue then.
Ha. Anyways, yeah it was def more a RAW sound. Not as produced.
Yeah definitely.
The money wasn’t there to fully develop. It was made for the streets. Not the club.
I think I miss some appreciation for things since I'm really heavily dance/beat oriented. That’s what my ear hears. So I wonder...what does your ear hear, since you do like it. Are you listening to the words?
I listen to the lyrics and the production. I appreciate where it all came from. The roots if you will. I've always been more about the beat and the sound.
What do you mean when you say the production. You’re listening to how it's made? Is that what you mean?
I'm talking about the final product. And the era of production. The tools used. Now there are countless tools used to produce music. Don’t even need instruments anymore. Today producers have all the tools in the world. I think a lot more love went into it then. Now a days, anyone and everyone makes hits.

So does that make for more boring music? I mean. It creates an over-saturated market?
The market now is garbage. Look at snap music.
What’s snap music?
Snap is like "Snap Yo Fingaz". All the snap music. D4L. Shit like that.
Right.
It’s just made to make a dollar. NWA was a story telling group and were telling a story in a way that no one had done before.
Then where do you think all those storytellers have gone? And why do you think there’s so little popular interest now in that?
People made money. Times change. People made money and moved on...or as Eazy did...he died.
And now they just want to...snap their fingers so to speak. (HA)
I think people really don’t care about anything but having it sound hot. Look at songs that rip the charts. This is why I'm hot? It’s all about money now. Make it rain?

Right. But so in the past rap music has been about…struggling...right?
Yup.
And it seems now it’s about being on top.
Now its like the struggle ended...well at least for the rapper.
About balling out...etc.
Yup. Exactly. Not even about skills anymore. It used to be about being a nice rapper. Now it’s about what truck you whip. How much ice is on your neck.
Well if this music (at least the way I see) is the art form and literally the voice of the people…if what’s coming out now is any reflection of "the people" then people are doing pretty damn well...or maybe people are ignoring their problems??
People learned. In the beginning, no one knew record companies were screwing them. Then people started realizing that the owners of these labels were balling out.
Right. So then they themselves started to ball out as well?
Now it’s a lot of indie rap killing it and dudes are BALLING.

But why do the indie rappers get so little attention. I think my point is, why the shift in the listeners? Can people no longer feel for the struggling guy?
The indie guys don’t have the money to spend on advertising
Ohhh
Double edged sword. A lot of people started on a major, made a little bread then started their own label.
Record sales don’t mean anything?
Record sales mean $$$. But if no one knows you made the record, what’s the point?
It’s kind of scary when you delve into it...the record industry seems as if its grown to titanic proportions...such a monopoly almost...its just a joke to think an average joe can really compete in the market.

Yeah. Myspace is helping so many little guys do their thing.
I think the Internet is really amazing. (understatement of the year haha.)
Ha. It truly is.
But seriously that’s come up a lot with all different types of people I’ve talked to; how the Internet has changed or shaped and helped their cause.
It helped me personally. That’s for sure.
How so?
Well when I joined myspace, you couldn’t change your top friends. And since I signed on so early I was everyone’s top friend so I was on everyone’s front page.
Hahahah yes you were my top friend for so long.
Exactly.
But I moved that shit so quickly as soon as I could ("ew matt. get off my page.")
jajajahaahaha
So that helped promote your music?
Yeah because of that, it generated a buzz. Like "who is project matt"?? Totally... and my posts had a lot of exclamation points. Made it sound fun!
And you are.
Promise and deliver.
Exactly. It’s hard though. Not as easy as you may think.

So. Are you making music now because you’re mostly inspired or because you’re mostly disappointed and want to change things?
A little of both. I make music because its fun and I can make music that I LIKE. And I'm really disappointed in the lack of good shit coming out. Even Three 6 Mafia is getting watered down. Money ruins everything.
Yeah. So where are you getting your inspiration to keep doing it?
I do what I do. Been doing it.
It must be hard then to pull on your creativity so much then.
Kind of. its like will i ever see a pay off? Hahah. I mean who wouldn’t love to make money doing what they love doing? But the minute you start making money everything changes.

That’s like I said before. About the record industry being so gigantic and impenetrable.
Yeah. New friends, new money, new rules.
It has a price. I think it just has to do with how much give you have to give to get that take.
Totally has a price. I just take it gig by gig. I'm not trying to get rich and famous. I just wanna play music for people and be able to put food on my plate. I still have a day job ya know.
Yeah. that seems like you don’t have a lot of give then. But that’s good I think. You'll decide and control what you’re putting your name on.
Exactly. I don’t have anyone telling me what to do or not do. Which is good and bad. I make a lot of bad decision. Hahha. But it's all a lesson learned..
Yeah this is only your first life. You’ve never done anything you’ve done before. So who the fuck knows. It's all learning.
All I know is that I love playing music for people. I've been doing since I was 9.
I was 3 when you were 9.
Shit.