In the age of where we are spooned music in little happy, cellophane smothered, artwork inserted, compact disc packages of delightment, there is one person that says, "Wait, aren't album sales down? Then why am I going to do this?" After putting his touches on MTV's Premiere Show "Rob & Big"... Enter Mr. Ozwald...
illRoots.com: First off thank you for the interview I definitely appreciate it.
Oz: Oh, thanks for giving the interview.
illRoots.com: So who is Mr. Ozwald? If we looked up Mr. Ozwald in the dictionary how would you define yourself?
Oz: Basically innovative. I try to make music that isn’t exactly cookie cutter you know the same shit that everyone else is doing. When you listen to my records from one track to the next or even that last album I put out the road to riches you’ll see that everything is different from one to the next. You know one might be a joint that you can ride around to, the next one might be on some spiritual stuff. So who Mr. Ozwald is in the music, because what is in my music is all from my personal experiences.
illRoots.com: So your discography is?
Oz: Well anything that you hear me on is joints that I produced but outside of my music you can hear my music on the MTV shows Rob & Big. I’ve been on all three seasons you know as the background music and Warren Miller’s Off the Grid which is like a ski movie. But the problem with the TV stuff is that people don’t know that its your beat.
"These guys are hilarious. I'm actually a fan of the show so it's pretty cool to have my song in the trailer." - Mr.Ozwald
illRoots.com: So its like ghostwriting?
Oz: Basically people might hear the beat and like the beat but its not shown that it was made by you. But theres no album credits.
illRoots.com: So what is your biggest assets that you can contribute to hip-hop that no one else has contributed before?
Oz: You know you have to try to be different and be you. The thing that I see all the time is that people hear something that’s hot and they know it’s a formula that works so instead of doing their own thing they do what is currently hot. Which when I’m making music you don’t want to stray to far from that and give them something that is to far from left field. I feel that with my music that I’m going to give you my own sound.
illRoots.com: One Song to Summarize your Life?
Oz: “Toxicity” – System of the Down, crazy, I listen to that and it makes me feel like stuff I think about all the time.
illRoots.com: As far as the whole setup for putting out an album where did you get this concept to release a different song each month?
Oz: Well after I put out this last album “Road to Riches” it goes on Itunes. I spent a lot of time on Itunes and downloading music and if you go on there you can see the majority of these albums people are still only buying one or two songs. I mean Itunes basically shows you the popularity. So I was thinking I read a lot of Billboard magazine, and keep track of a lot of the independent this and that. You know the younger crowd to I was young hustling CD’s but now its like why when I have an Ipod. Like Damn, the CD game is starting to fade out. For me to constantly stay out there and not just fall back this is a good way to keep it fresh. Plus, instead to getting a group of people to download from Itunes one time, now I have them coming back you know once a month. All the way around it minimize expenses and it’s a win – win for everybody.
illRoots.com: One person that you would like to work with in the near future and why?
Oz: I mean honestly it would be an honor to a track with Hov and this one is going to sound like a cop out too but before Amy Winehouse popped off I was like this chick is ridiculous. I always wanted to do one with her. I’ve always been digging her voice its so soulful. If you look in my Ipod its just a lot of Rhythm and Blues from the 70’s – Otis Redding and Curtis Mayfield
illRoots.com: So what do you use equipment wise?
Oz: When I first started out all I had was a MP, turntables, and a mixer so all my beats I did were sample heavy. It was great because I got nice at chopping up stuff on the MP. Then I got some music in the hands of this music lawyer and she actually got me to some placements. She got me in, well the movie bombed, but that movie “Gigle” with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez….
illRoots.com: Oh man that shit was the worst.
Oz: But before the movie came out they wanted to use some tracks and were talking pretty good numbers and the next day that movie with Bernie Mac, “Mr. 3000”, the guy that was producing wanted a few tracks. So the ball started rolling and when it came down they were ready to use them and I don’t have clearances for any of the samples. So it put me in a bad situation because they didn’t want to wait for me to get clearances to put it in the movie, as well it put her in a bind too. At that point I said let me buy a keyboard and do some original stuff. Now its weird like I don’t really sample any more at all.
illRoots.com: As far the new song “Anything” whats the prowess of the song, and whats your process in songwriting?
Oz: Yea man and people do have their processes and shit that they do and how they work stuff out. What I may do is produce a bunch of beats until I find one I want I’ll pick that and write to it. With this track I was going through a lot of shit like normal people do and it was weird because I had to get this record done and I was recording on Thursday and it was like Tuesday and I didn’t have anything ready to go. I had all this other stuff that was stressing me out and what it came down to I got to the studio and this guy flew up from Miami to record which only gave me , in the end, a two day window to get everything done. So I was just stressing and I could have cut all this out and been fine but I got it done and it felt good.
illRoots.com: For More check out www.myspace.com/mrozwald and www.mrozwald.com for much much more…..
