MUSIC
COURTESY SOULS OF MISCHIEF
The Souls of Mischief will bring their Bay Area rap to Pipeline Cafe Saturday when they perform at the "Soul Village" concert.
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Rappin’ with a mischief maker
Starting with 1993's "93 til Infinity," Souls of Mischief have held it down for the Bay Area's independent rap scene.
'Soul Village'
With Slum Village and Souls of Mischief
» Place: Pipeline Cafe
» Time: 10 p.m. Saturday
» Tickets: $20
» Call: 946-8620
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Tajai Massey, 31, along with fellow crew members A-Plus, Opio and Phesto, have released three full-length albums over the ensuing 13 years, made numerous appearances on compilation albums by the Heiroglyphics and undertaken various solo efforts.
The Star-Bulletin caught up with Massey earlier this week in Oakland, Calif., where he's relaxing for a few days before making the trip to paradise.
Question: For those who might be sleeping on you guys, what's the story with Hieroglyphics and Souls of Mischief?
Answer: The Hieroglyphics is a crew we started out in Oakland, Calif. First guy under the crew, his name was Del (the Funky Homosapien), he came out in '91. There's also Casual, Souls of Mischief ... then we got Pep Love and Domino.
Q: So all the Souls are part of Hieroglyphics, but not all the Heiroglyphcis are Souls of Mischief?
A: Exactly. We're half of Hieroglyphics.
Q: How did you guys get together?
A: We all went to elementary school and lived in the same neighborhood and all that.
Q: I first heard of you guys in 1995 with "No Man's Land," after hearing some friends complain about the change in your sound. Was it that different an album from "93 til Infinity?"
A: We try to make things different every time, man. I think an artist that works within a formula isn't really an artist. If you look at all the Hieroglyphics records, not a single one is the same from record to record. To me, an artist who doesn't push themselves or try to do what the fans want them to do, is not a real artist. And that's not being a snob, that's just artistry.
Q: Is it better to exist slightly outside the mainstream?
A: We're independent, so we can do whatever we want to. Period. I think it's cool to be independent, but in the same token, mainstream is what feeds your family. People know us off what they seen on MTV. I want all my music to be mainstream, as far as exposure. But I'm not about to make no pop records, me personally.
Q: As hip-hop gets bigger around the world, one of the biggest gripes from international artists is that U.S. rappers aren't political enough.
A: Yeah, but ... they get their U.S. hip-hop exposure through MTV. So they're not hearing none of the underground. I can understand why they have that perspective, but on the same token, you're not going to get any Moral Technique from MTV Europe. What we're exporting is mainly pop ... I like it, I dance to it, but as far as subject matter, they ain't talking ... political. And overseas, especially where there's real conflict, hip-hop is a tool against oppression and a tool for political action.
Q: Has the rise of the Internet helped independent artists?
A: We make a couple of G's a week off the Internet. So I can't complain. As far as bootlegging, the downloading and all that, if you're a real fan of the music, you'll support it. Fans come up to me with a burn of my disc and ask me to sign it. And I'm like, "Give me your shoes!"
Q: You're from the Bay Area. What do you think of the rise of the hyphy movement?
A: I love that, man. The youngsters are dancing against each other again. ... I don't really like the drug aspect though. And as far as hyphy music, I'm from Oakland. That's where hyphy is from. Not the Bay Area. Oakland. ... It's crazy that it took somebody like E-40, who's been around, to bring it to the forefront. He's uniting the whole bay.
Q: Any last thoughts?
A: To me, hip-hop is better than it's ever been. When Kanye and Common are getting Grammy nods, and 50 Cent can sell water and video games and all that? That is incredible. The fact that they don't have to make pop songs and can still blow up on a pop level ... that's wonderful. On the same token, let's take that money and reinvest in our communities. If we don't, and all we do is buy a bunch of cars, then we have no ground to stand on.