Featured Artist: Tha Q

Today’s feature artist is DC’s own Tha Q. Educator by day, rapper by night, Q practices his craft for the love of hip hop. He recently opened up a myspace page and has started networking with producers and DJs in order to keep finding new challenges. He’s got some insightful views on the current state of hip hop and how he keeps himself grounded and real without going commercial.

Cicero: So Q, How and when did you first get into rapping?

Tha Q: Haaaa....good question...Honestly, looking back, my entire life has been a prime and prep-session for what I'd eventually end up doing. I'm a kid of the 80s. So, I grew up listening to Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Salt N Pepa, and Run DMC. I've always been into poetry. But, it wasn't until I heard the Late-great Biggie Smalls' album, "Ready to Die", that I truly feel in love with rap. I mean, it was something new and exciting to me, Biggie's music that is. That was back in 1999. I didn't record for the first time until a couple years later. I was still developing my style. I finally grew into my current persona of Tha Q in 2004. The rest is history and the future.

Cicero: You’ve stayed relatively unknown by today’s standards. You have just set up a myspace account and are beginning to reach out to other musicians. Why the sudden change?

Tha Q: Man, are you reading my mind? We're on a psychic wavelength here. That's another good question bro. I have a sense of urgency. I don't want to come across as narcissistic, but I realize that life is fleeting and we all have a purpose. I recently turned 30 years old, which is ancient by many standards. But, I realize that it's the perfect age to launch my music. I'm young enough to still be culturally relevant, yet old enough to have insight and experience. I look at myself as a bridge to future generations. Rap is the vehicle that will carry me there. When I was younger, people said I didn't have a shot in rap. I didn't quit. Now that I'm older, people say the same thing. You see the pattern here? When I eventually achieve my goals in rap, I will be satisfied and not concerned with how it's perceived. I want to be heard. I want my music to be spread all over the world. I want everyone to know my name

Cicero: You talk about being “old” in rap. There's a term "Contemporary Adult Hip Hop" has been circulating around a number of different artists these days. What do you think about that term being applied to artists, as opposed to the young cats that rule the airwaves today?

Tha Q: I haven't heard of that term...I was thinking about this topic and my target audience today. It's interesting. My appeal is very broad. But, something that surprised me was when I found out that I have many rural and suburban white fans. This kid from Iowa of all places made a Myspace page in my honor. It's crazy. On top of that, he and his "rocker" friends have a video on Youtube with a track of mine as the background music. I can assure you that when I made that song, and all my songs, I wasn't thinking Billy-Bob from Idaho would be bangin' my music. Honestly, it's pretty amazing...What it says to me is I have the potential to have a big impact in the game if I stay real, humble, and true to myself.

Cicero: What projects are you working on now?

Tha Q: I'm working on my 4th mixtape called Man Up. It's coming along nicely. It just feels right, because I’m not forcing anything. If I'm not feeling something, I quit it...nix it...I'm not force fitting anything on this joint.

Cicero: Where can people listen to your stuff?

Tha Q: Well...I've been slow to hop on the digital revolution; even though I spread my music mostly online...I do have a myspace, www.myspace.com/thaqraps. I have a new video up on Youtube. Just type in Tha Q and I'm there at the top. It's a song about HIV awareness I did for an MTV contest. I hope to hear from them soon with some good news. Wish me luck! I was also recently featured at lyrickings.com, which is a up and coming rap site. Other than that, you'll have to wait to see me on MTV! haaa...For real though, hit me up on my cell: 301 437 4786 if you want to collab. I'm about the art. I'm not doing this for fame or fortune.

Take a listen to Tha Q's track "Rain I See," produced by Nick Cicero, below.

Featured Artist: J.Troup

Today's featured artist is Music Producer J. Troup. He, along with his Black Atom Production company has made a name for himself on numerous Hip hop blogs, and has received praise from many industry executives, most notably a large "big-up" from Badboy A&R Conrad Dimanche. Troup is known for his "keyboard" productions, meaning free of the traditional samples...however he is certainly no stranger to all facets of the production game. 

His Myspace has over 30k plays and he's always open and active on the forums. 

J.Troup is the next big thing in Hip-Hop/R&B Production.

Cicero: To start off, I want to know about the gear! I've seen your videos on Youtube and all, so go ahead and share some of your favorite pieces of gear.

Troup: Well first off, I wanna thank you for the interest in what I do. It's my goal to inspire as well as make a significant impact in the industry. God is good, and he's blessing me, so I try to be a blessing to those around me. With that said, I'm not as big a gear slut as one may think! And of course I mean gear slut in the most respectful way possible lol! I mean, I got the usual...Cubase is the centerpiece of my setup, it's where I do all my sequencing, mixing, etc. Then i got Reason 4.0, can't live without that. Then of course there's the Triton Studio (which was my very first piece of gear), and the Fantom X6 with a few expansion boards in it. I just ordered the Open Labs MiKo (Timbaland Special Edition), which I'm like a kid waiting for Santa Claus with that piece! It's gon' take my imagination to a whole other level, and I can't wait!

Cicero: Even though versatility is crucial in today's business, producers still have their own signature sound. How do you create music that is unique, yet still follows mainstream needs?

Troup: You know, that's funny, because I used to be of the opinion that I don't want a signature sound. I want people to WONDER who did those tracks. I didn't want my music to be INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE, because I didn't want to get pigeonholed into one sound, and then when that sound dies off, my career dies off right along with it. We've all seen that happen before. But then I realized that apart of BUILDING A BRAND is having a distinct, instantly recognizable product in the market place.

It's like Coke...you KNOW that logo, even if you see it on the moon. When you taste a Coke, you don't just think "hmm...this is good, I wonder who made it?" As soon as it hits your tastebuds, you KNOW it's a Coke. So that's what I have to do with my sound. I just have to make it interesting enough for people to keep coming back.

It's so funny you should ask that, cuz when I was out at the One Stop Shop producers conference, Me and DJ Toomp talked for about 20 minutes about this very thing. He told me to just do me. Don't worry about what other people want from you. Denaun Porter (of D12) told me that he's turned projects down, because they didn't fit into his desired career progression. He told me that sometimes you have to say NO to certain things...you gotta think long term.

So really, I just try to make music that's different, but not TOO different. Because for real, the mainstream doesn't KNOW what it wants in advance. They just know hot when they hear it. They didn't know they wanted Timbo and The Neptunes until they got it, and when those 2 first started, they were as UN-MAINSTREAM as you could get!

So really, I just try to keep it fresh, try to push the envelope, and try to stay ahead of the curve. So right now, I'm trying to make music that's gon be fresh in 2010. If you're making music that sounds like what's out today, you've already lost the game.

Cicero: Who are you listening to right now, in terms of current music?

Troup: Honestly, I listen to everything. I used to be so anti-radio, but it's the stuff that's on the radio that people are liking. So for real, every time I'm in the car, I turn on the radio to hear what the people are listening to, just so I know. But my personal tastes? I love The Dream's album. Tricky and Los did their thing, and The Dream came with some hot songs. Snoop has a nice album, I'm loving the production that Teddy Riley came with. Can't wait for that QDT project to drop. Janet Jackson's album was hot, Lupe's album was the sh*t too. Jordin Sparks had a nice album too.

I can't wait for that Lil Wayne to drop. That lil boy been nice since he was 10 years old. I wanna hear what BG is going to come with now that he's back on a major. Oh, and that Young Jeezy is my sh*t...Jeezy like ta drank, Jeezy like ta smoke...That song is fire...definitely my favorite.

But I listen to some of everything. If it's hot and innovative, then I'll listen to it. I'm a fan of music!

Cicero: So you've been featured on the Producers Marketplace (PMP) Site twice, both in your own video and with the Conrad Dimanche shout out. What do you think of the PMP site, and it's sub-par imitators?

Troup: Man, I can't say enough good things about PMP! Shout out to Abom, Rad and AZ. They are all great guys, and doing some really controversial, ground breaking things with PMP. I had the chance to talk to them when I was up in NYC about some of the things they got coming up with PMP, and best believe it's not your ordinary "get placements" site. The overall vision is ridiculous!

But as far as the "sub-par" competitors?? LOL...I'm not gonna say any site is sub-par, because they wouldn't exist if there weren't a market for them. Granted, some of them do exist just to exploit the dreams (and lunch monies) of the young and dumb, but not all of them. Everything has it's place in the market.

I prefer PMP, because first off, Conrad Dimanche is a partner in the site. You got someone who's been an industry taste maker for over 10 years putting his dollars behind this venture. That speaks volumes for me. Secondly, the price tag...PMP is not cheap. So just with that pricetag, it's gonna keep away the hobbyist beat-makers. Alot of the other sites are cluttered with guys who just downloaded a cracked copy of Fruity Loops last month, and are trying to get records placed. I don't want to deal with that.

So every site has it's place and it's market that it serves, but I'm not going to personally call any of them sub-par. I happen to know J-Hatch and Don from iStandard (shout out to them!!), and even though it's a PMP competitor, they run a GREAT site and provide a great service to a slightly different segment of the market.

Personally, I just happen to prefer PMP, for my own needs at the moment. Those guys have been incredibly supportive of me and my pursuits, and my loyalty to them is eternal.

People ask me all the time have I gotten any placements from PMP. I tell them no. But I also tell them that "placements" is not my goal at this stage. My goal is exposure. Because you can have all the hot beats in the world, but if people don't know you, then your hot beats aren't gonna get you anywhere. So PMP has helped me greatly in my quest for exposure.

So many people in the industry have heard the name J.Troup, and the exposure that I've gotten on PMP has helped out greatly with that. There are people who have made like $50,000 off PMP by selling tracks. So PMP is what you make it. Clearly it works for selling tracks. And it most definitely works for exposing you to a greater audience!

But as with any site like that, it is what you make it. If you expect to just send your tracks to the projects and get placements instantly, then you can hang that up. You might get lucky, but more than likely, you'll get frustrated with wasting your money and quit in 2 months.

Cicero: Yeah I feel you on that. I'm not on PMP yet myself because I want to make sure when I officially introduce myself to the game I'm bringing the best product I can. Can you share any projects you're either working on now or recently completed?

Troup: Well, let's just say my phone has been ringing. There's nothing set in stone yet, but the more exposure I get, the more my phone is ringing, and the more important the people on the other end of the phone are!

But I'm doing some work with a singer that's signed to Stargate, and also doing some work with a singer who's signed to Atlantic. I also got some tracks from a multi platinum producer that wants some songs written for a particular artists...and I'm trying to put these songs to bed(*wink*)!

Other than that, I'm just grinding. I'm trying to increase my exposure level. My phone and email are blowing up every day, so expect to hear more of J.Troup in the next 12 to 18 months!!

Cicero: Thanks for lending me your time, I know you run a busy schedule. Tell the readers where they can get more info about you.

Troup: Oh no, thank you, and I hope I didn't talk your ear off! I get kinda long winded about music, but hey, it's what I love!

People can get more info on me from a few different places. My Myspace, my website, my email is jtroup@blackatomproductions.com, or my Youtube Channel. Of course my PMP link is www.pmpworldwide.com/j-troup

Of course, I'm always available by phone... 646.256.4076. I just have to ask people to be respectful of my time, and to only call me if you're trying to do some business. Don't call to see if it's really me, because it is! lol.

If you just have questions or something, then hit me on myspace or youtube, or email. I personally answer every message that I get, fairly quickly.

Cicero: Thanks Troup, can't wait to hear from you on the radio!

Listen to J.Troup's New Track, Pull It Off:

iMeem Playlist is Up

I added an iMeem playlist with some beats I've made to the left of the page. Leave a comment if you like them, and check out my myspace page (link on right) for more. Also beats are always for sale/lease so hit me up. Thanks.

10 Digging Secrets

Fuck the sample CDs and Compilations...Go out and dig yourself. Fortunately we have movies like the Deep Crates Series and The Beat Kings to keep the excitement of digging up. If you're looking for some tips, try these:

1. Follow The Leader – If someone has already sampled an artist chances are that there are more hot used and unused breaks & samples by that very same artist.

2. Follow The Musicians & Producers – So you like that crazy piano sample, sound, or that unique feeling the song seems to evoke? Guess what… you can probably find that same artist playing even better on another album. Many times musicians and producers worked on different projects with each other and you can catch someone early on in their career putting down some great sounds with another group.

3. Watch The Year - Just like the golden age of Hip Hop, each genre has had its highs and lows and there are virtually no exceptions. Jazz, Funk, Soul, and Rock have all had their great time periods containing distinctive styles of the times.

4. Know Your Resources – Read the All Music Guide, Read album liners, online sample databases, Wax Poetics, sample dictionary books.

5. Make Friends With Diggers – Although digging is generally very secretive and almost anitsocial, if you have a friend that knows their stuff you can both put each other up on records while digging.

6. Trust Your Intuition – A certain spidey sense tends to develop after spending a bit of time getting dusty in the bins.

7. Become A Label Whore – Many of the best artists had a tendency to hang around the same label and be produced by the same people. Some of the more known examples of this are Kudu, Blue Note, Westbound, and CTI.

8. Develop Your Ear, Personal Style, And Love For Music – This is probably the most important piece of the lesson. You will only become a successful digger if you truly have a love of music. This may be beyond the comprehension of many; however loving Hip Hop and loving music are two completely different concepts. I know many people who claim to love music, but the only time they listen to anything other than Hip Hop is when they are looking for samples. Most diggers I know would rather listen to Soul, Funk, Rock or Jazz than Hip Hop. For some reason it’s a natural progression to appreciate the true creativity of the original players. After falling in love with an artist’s work and really getting into their catalog, you’ll eventually be able to recognize the styles of many musicians and develop the ability to guess an artist when you hear them playing on another unknown track.

9. Purchase A Portable Turntable – This is the single most important factor that has caused a great increase in my digging success. I have saved an immense amount of time, money, and aggravation by avoiding worthless records. I’ve also been able to pick up many records that I would have passed over and would have never known about because of the fear of taking a risk and plunking down large sums for unknown records with nothing on them. The investment hurts a little bit in the beginning, but the key word is investment and it eventually pays huge dividends.

10. Keep An Open Mind – Listen to everything and I mean everything, except for Country of course! You will stumble upon finds in some of the most surprising areas and genres. Also, to contradict my earlier tip… don’t judge a record by its cover. You will find great breaks and samples on some of the worst looking covers.

Bonus Tip:

Keep Digging – Be strong, develop your endurance, and dig until you can’t dig anymore. The best diggers keep digging for hours and entire days to make sure that they have covered every bit of whatever location they may be at. This may mean that you have to run out and grab a coffee, but make sure that you get make into the mix. You never know what you could be passing up.