Banga (Prod. Murray Biggs]
More Than Music (Prod. Fresh Produce)
Okay so our "Get To Know" series seems to be jumping off so I might as well contribute to the goodness. My big homie and Bronx rapper Cause decided to stop through and talk with me for a nice little one on one and delve into more of his work as well as talk about hip-hop like I normally do. Either way you can check illRoots.com hosting his concert coming up in New York and you best believe that we do it big, real big.illRoots.com: Thank You first off.
C: Oh no problem. Anytime Jay.
illRoots.com: Why the name Cause?
C: That name was given to me by a good friend of mine. Back in High School we used to have little freestyle ciphers and rap battles and things of that nature. It was like a year in when I met these dudes because I actually transferred high schools from my previous High School and a friend of mine goes "Everytime you rhyme its always about a cause, like you always representing something". I come from a neighborhood where all they talk about is guns and what they wish they had and things that aren't reality. He was like "You always seem to bring that back to reality and having a cause, you should be called "Cause" ". I was like "You know what I'm going to try that out.
illRoots.com: One song that you've written that you feel will have the biggest impact?
C: "More than music" is this song I have and I feel it will have an impact in a way that I feel I want my music to have an impact. I feel like its the most honest track I have thus far. I feel like I didn't try to make it catchy or butter it up. I just kept it real and at the same time understandable and not too complicated for people. So I feel its the clearest song.
illRoots.com: Right now, I think my thoughts on Hip-Hop is the words are way out of control. We use so many words and oversaturate the market place with these words too the point of confusion.
C: I think that artists are giving themselves too much power. Back in the day an artist would see himself as part of the people and maybe slightly a leader but with the same mindset. I feel that now our artists see themselves as somewhat bigger then the people and why should I listen to the criticisms of my listeners and the community when I'm making the records and out here stuggle. We lost that aspect of community its no longer about community its more about cliques.
illRoots.com: Yeah, it went from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood to Warriors.
C: [Laughs]
illRoots.com: Also I was watching MTV Jams and the worst thing they did was put YO! MTV Raps back on. My reasoning: you can't shine a turd, you can try but it will just smear. That had no reference in anything but it was a cool analogy. [Laughs] Seriously though people now see obvious differences in music now as compared to what many call as the Golden Era. So you have Maino "Hater" next to De La Soul and its like Wait a minute....this is so Wack. God bless people like DJ Khaled because contrary to many beliefs he brings balance to the game for every good there must be bad for every super conscience backpacking rapper there has to be just no nonsense music. I may not care for certain types of music but I respect it nonetheless.
C: Yea totally. I think people feel like they aren't getting what they used to get from Hip-Hop. Its sort of like this thing where they question there own loyalty like "Fuck that genre it switched up". You know who I blame for that, my peers on the come up, because honestly we are the hope. We are the generation to bring balance to whats going on so whomever is contributing to the bullshit thats going on right now I blame them.
illRoots.com: I can see that but at the same we have to realize who are teachers were. Ultimately we are a sum of our decisions but at the same time what we learn on an everyday basis plays a big role. When things trickle down from teachers like when Obama said "Education starts with the parents", I think the same has to be said about our mentors in this. It all goes back to that education system it resonates from a failing education system and it reflects in the culture. Now I'm not going to go all the way CNN/ MSNBC on this but I do think in an essence the overall leaders in our system do need to have some sort of accountability and that is the same with Hip-Hop we need to hold our leaders highly accountable.
C: Right. Thats the beauty of this though people that think like you and me are bound to voice their opinions more and its bound to actually get recognized.
illRoots.com: How do you feel about your movement and why do you think they titled some people "hipsters"?
C: I think it really is deriviated in the word. They see these people as the Hip crowd. I'm young but I spent alot of time in L.E.S. where that Hipster movement really originated from. I knew people who started some of these trends.Just in a fashion sense, and now that its become popular it really doesn't have the same meaning. Thats how it happens though people over use it but you can put me on record, fashion wise, the hipster trend lost its original meaning now that its been glamorized.
illRoots.com: You know though I still don't see why they can call it "hipster". Hip-hop is so funny about that when we don't know what something is then we through it in a "new" category and then somehow try to define that category like fuck that. How would you summarize your movement?
Cause Live at "Stand Up."
C: My movement is ever evolving. My movement is the authorization of whats going on at that very moment. Everything around me and from my perspective and also from the people around me's perspective. Its progressive in the sense that I want certain things to change. If we can make aware socially conscience issues then lets do so accordingly. I'm a reporter of the current times and of the future based on my analysis.
illRoots.com: Where do you think hip-hop is going?
C: Honestly I really don't even know I do think that its up in the air. I do not expect hip-hop to do what its doing now. Its like bittersweet because Hip-Hop is unpredictable, you never know where the change is going to come from or what form or shape its going to take. I can't even go there as far as predicting, I hope to see alittle more balance.
illRoots.com: Speaking of Obama just winning, your the President, your first act as the leader of our great nation [ real dramatic like...] is ________.
C: I'll do like Tom Hanks and hire an all female staff. [Laughs]
illRoots.com: God Bless you, and God Bless America. [Laughs]
C:Then maybe after that, I don't even know.
illRoots.com:Man basically its the power of the pussy and fuck poverty. Welfare..smellfare....[Laughs]
C: No [Laughs], women are maticulus and they pay attention to detail.
illRoots.com: Thanks the clarity there was magical. It really was, you went from Larry Flynt to Oprah in less than 20 seconds. [Laughs]
C: I grew up in a household full of ladies so I give them the utmost of respect.
illRoots.com: I digress. Okay Sean Bell....
C: I really can't make a political statement but its just outrageous. That whole situation is a clear indication and I really see where peoples minds are at. Maybe a couple tens of years ago there would be riots until change. I feel like everybody just said "Man that shits fucked up, ayo you see them Jordans that came out". Thats crazy it just gets swept under the rug.
illRoots.com: Elitism where the higher ups put these distractions out in order to repress the issues. One song to summarize your life?
C: Changes by 2pac.
illRoots.com: Your new CD, give me a synopsis?
C: The new CD is in the works, production wise I'm working with are letting me capture more emotion where I'm working with the producer instead of just picking beats and writing to them. Now I'm building beats around some of the concepts that I have. Its going to be a more fitting album. I do alot myself but feature wise I'm talking with Kidz in the Hall. I already have a feature with Blue Scholars and these are the people that I saw at the shows and no political type stuff no managers. I don't reach out for features I kind of let life guide them.
illRoots.com: Thats great that you aren't reaching for features, its pretty refreshing since the most annoying thing is name drops. I got T-Pain, Jeezy, oh yea well I got Jesus. Hallway featuring Jesus beat that.
C: [Laughs]
illRoots.com: The name drop from the highest. [Laughs] I like when people try to say I'm going all the way left and name drop Cee-Lo. Forgetting that "Who's that creeping round my windowwwwwww" although if he does a couple more Gnarls Barkley joints with him just going off it may be different. I'm a fan of Cee-Lo though huge fan.
C: Its cool to go outside the box just don't get lost in space.
illRoots.com: I have to thank On the Glow Media as they are always very good at making things happen all the time as well the big homie Cause as we continue to grind and move forward this guy makes better moves everytime we talk.