01:00:08.9101:00:00.00

	BSA Rap w Wes Flexner Thurz 7pm 92.7 / 98. 3 http://www.wcrsfm.org/content/wes-flexners-rock-n-roll-show-7-14-2021 BSAHipHop@wesflexner.com
	Evidence – All Money 83
	Ice T– High Rollers
	Turnstile – Holiday is the song BSA Rap Radio Played after High Rollers 7/15/2021
	Tyler, The Creator – Massa
	Lakim Shabbazz – The Lost Tribe Of Shabbazz
	Woah is Atmosphere’s newest song
	Eric B + Rakim – Microphone Fiend
	Indelible MC’s – Fire in Which You Burn
	Soul Position – Printmatic
	Toddy Tee- Battaram
	KMD W Brand Nubian – Nitty Gritty

Soul Position Story from 4/6/2006

Play your Postion:
By Wes Flexner
Last summer, I ate with RJ and Print at Northstar. RJ had to drive back to his home in
Philadelphia so they had to discuss the direction of the next Soul Position record. They
both agreed that they wanted it to be an easier listen than the dense, textured epic “8
Million Stories” Rhymesayers.
RJ wanted the album to be a lot more fun and danceable.
He suggested that “You Don’t Want No Drama” by Eightball & MJG an example of how
he wanted the album to follow from bridge to hook bridge to hook composition wise.
Blueprint listened and noted which beats he was into.
The album definitely intended itself to be relevant in terms of acknowledging mainstream
rap’s influence on American culture.
So the album “This Go Better With RJ and AL” Rhymesayers arrived in the mail one
day.
And what they had come up with was a synthesis of The Minstrel Show’s critique
of African-American’s identity in mainstream America, and Diplo’s fun and humor that
often utilizes the energy of mainstream African-American music.
The first single Hand-Me Down’s deals with the anti-social cultural transmission that
That is evident in mainstream rap but is also prevalent in all of American culture.
On the flipside, Blueprints rocks a double-time flow with a Swishahouse-esque
Hook on the hilarious “I Need My Minutes”. All and All the album transcends Indie Rap
, Southern Rap, and anti-Minstrel Rap to create something that is insightful, easy on the
ear, and danceable.
I spoke with RJ and Blueprint as they prepared to embark on a nationwide tour.
First things first, what’s the concept behind the first single Hand Me Downs?
Blueprint: Kinda about behavior that has been passed down. Some Obvious. Some not.
I think its everywhere. It’s not specifically music. It’s like bad social practices, where
people can’t speak to each other. Looking at being social as a negative thing or weakness.
I think musically bad stereotypes are being passed down?
Who do you think propagates that?
Blueprint: Every media outlet plays a role. Every radio outlet that supports things you
can’t be proud of. And BET and MTV.
Is this anti-social programming and stereotyping reinforcement a new thing?
RJD2:Read that magazine Wax Poetics. The new one has an interview with Bill Withers.
They ask him about his writing process. He is like ‘there needs to be a place for male
vulnerability in music and sociality. He was talking about this and this guy was making
records in 72.
Do you think that the Executives won’t allow male vulnerability or is it the general
public?
RJD2-I don’t think it’s a musical thing. I think Hand Me Down’s is more of a comment
on social behavior and much less a comment on music. People seem to perceive it as an
attack on popular rap, which I guess it encompasses but I feel like it much larger issue
than something that deals with music. The overarching scope of social habits that we fall
into. I feel like that is the bigger picture.
Do you think in society this is an ongoing thing or is there deterioration?
Blueprint: I think there is something different about how people interact with each other.
Maybe its just American society. Some of its regional. I don’t everything is necessarily
brand new. I don’t have everything figured out. But I feel like we need to cast a light on
it. The generation my mom grew up in, my grandmother grew up in. If you didn’t speak
to somebody. At least say ‘hello, how are you doing’ when you were walking down the
street. You were an asshole. To our generation, if you do speak to somebody, you are
happy go-lucky or crazy.
RJD2: Unless you live out in the barbs or something. There comes the whole issue of am
I making myself a mark by just being the nice guy in the neighborhood.
Is it kindness as a weakness?
RJD2: Yeah, to me that is close to the heart of the issue.
What kind of changes would you like to see in social habits?
Blueprint: I would like to see people to think about things they do and how it impacts
social habits.
RJ, I understand you turned down a substantial amount of money to do dejay gigs?
RJD2-For better of worse, I don’t like thinking about this kind of thing. For better or
worse, but there are people who are going to look at you as an icon or a guy that’s out
there.
People are going to look up to you. I have mixed feelings about that. But it’s something
you have to accept because it’s the truth. It was hard. Because for the first portion of my
career I was used to making decisions based on business, money and making a career.
I had this attitude you do whatever you can to get by. I started thinking about if some kid
came and was going to start smoking and got a free pack of cigarettes. How can you
equate a financial gain that for something…Your health. A bad habit that could last a
lifetime
And kill someone. You can’t really make financial argument on why you should put
someone in that situation.
Responsibility seems to be one theme of the album. Another theme is that it is a party
record. How has the Serrato computer program that allows a laptops hard drive to
interface with turntables affected the hip hop live show?
Blueprint: It’s revolutionary for people that are on top of their game. For the lazy people
It is going to make them worse.
RJD2:I would hope Serrato our any technology would free people up to do want they
want to do. As well as push people to focus on a show and putting on a show. Dejaying is
so prevalent, and on McDonalds commercials. Hopefully people will realize: you still
need to do what you need to do to make as show entertaining. Almost look at is a
handicap. You need to work that I need to work much harder to prove we aren’t just
pushing play on a cd. We are going to make the show interesting.
What have you done to make the show interesting?
RJD2:We can’t tell you about it.
Blueprint: Its fun. Its not just rappity rap. We are representing all the elements. All 3000
of them. We are making sure fun is represented as a Hip Hop element.