Excellent Rye Rye video where she speaks on her roots, her future, the spread of Bmore Club and its dance moves! Very informative.

Them Do It Horns by James Nasty

Ohhh that James Nasty! Karaoke superstar, freaktrain advocate, and lover of all things deep fried – the dude lives and breathes Baltimore club music. You’ve probably read his name somewhere in the City Paper or the Baltimore Sun – he’s all over this city. You can find him punishing some tacos at the local Mexican joint, daydrinking on his stoop, or playing maestro at his Friday night party, Physical Education. Hosted by The Ottobar every Friday night, Physical Education, or Phys Ed for short, is one of the most active parties in Baltimore right now. The fun thing about Phys Ed is that you never quite know what to expect week after week. It provides a different experience every single time. Sure – you can always count on James Nasty to play a full hour of Baltimore club at 1AM, but each week there’s a new guest DJ who can play anything from Top 40 to dubstep to moombahton. These different genres draw so many different types of party people to Phys Ed – from art school kids to ghetto mamis, cowboys to hipsters, nerds to bboys. You can literally assemble The Village People every week.

The myriad of people who roll through The Ottobar on Friday night contributes to a specific dynamic that is truly unique to Phys Ed. But one thing that everybody has in common is that they are all WYLIN’ OUT come 1AM. The moment James Nasty steps up to the decks and the Baltimore club starts pouring out the speakers and smackin’ you in the ass, everybody starts to lose their shit and it truly is a beautiful sight to see. I’ve seen girls movin’ their bodies in ways I didn’t even know was physically possible. I’ve seen people gettin’ freaky and eating cupcakes at the same time. I’ve seen a bride gettin’ down in her wedding gown. I once saw a dude stuntin’ in a red cape. But my absolute favorite sight I’ve seen at Phys Ed was four people gettin’ in on a freaktrain all while sharing McDonald’s burgers and fries. That’s love, people. Or maybe just vodka. But seriously, there’s always at least one point during Phys Ed where I rub my eyes and ask, “Is this real life?” Nope. This is Phys Ed. Every fuckin’ Friday.

But you might need a little something to get you through the week. James Nasty is always in the lab and regularly releases brand new tracks over on his SoundCloud, but if you don’t have The Truth About James Nasty, you need to download it immediately and add it to your mixtape collection. Released earlier this year, this mixtape is bound to make you involuntarily bop your head to the beat. You also might get the sudden urge to shake your ass on the next person that walks down the street. That’s just what Baltimore club music does to a person. Listen for favorites like, “Lemme C Wat U Got”, “Them Do It Horns” and especially “We No Speak Bmoreo”, which is consistently featured on Baltimore club hours on 92Q. While The Truth About James Nasty maintains a classic Baltimore club sound, it’s doing a lot to spearhead the newest transitional movement in Baltimore club music, which involves less sampling, more original vocals, and an overall cleaner, more polished feel to the productions.

But Baltimore club music can only be so polished. It’s supposed to have this grimey feel to it and James Nasty keeps it real. He thrives on gettin’ that bass knockin’, lettin’ them horns blow, and keepin’ it all sexual. Rockin’ his tracks will leave you feelin’ some sort of way and hopefully it involves impure thoughts. James Nasty is all about bringing out your inner freak so don’t fight it too much, ya heard?

Take some time to get to know the guy who’s providing the soundtrack to your Friday night:

Cool Breezy: When did you start DJing and producing and who are some of your influences?  Also, why Baltimore club?

James Nasty: I started producing in college in 2001 while still in school at UMBC.  I used to make beats and go to the recording studio on campus with my homies, get fucked up, and record them.  [I] started DJing in 2006 playing house parties in College Park.

Influences are alcohol, watching girls jiggle their asses and titties, The Neptunes, Armand Van Helden, 2 Live Crew, DJ Funk, and Rod Lee.

I can’t think of any other genre of music that has the energy that club music has.  Don’t get it twisted – [it’s] not the only genre I am into but at the end of the day, there really is nothing like it and I’m proud to be from the city [where] it comes from.  I don’t understand how some folks around here don’t feel that sense of pride and ownership of Baltimore club.

CB: What’s good with Physical Education?  How’d the party get started and what makes The Ottobar the place to be on Friday nights?

JN: The party started about two and a half years ago by a group of guys and was called Moustache back then. I was eventually brought in as a resident DJ.  Throughout the course of the two and half years, everyone, besides Ponyo and I, has moved on to other opportunities in other cities.

It’s the place to be because the party is just fun – simple as that.  [It’s] more fun than any other party in the city, I feel.  Diverse crowd [and] diverse music means [there’s] something for everyone.  I want to keep things simple. Come drink if you want to drink, dance if you want to dance and meet people to hook up with if you want to hook up.  What more do you really need from a night out on the town?  Plus, we happen to play some pretty awesome tunes throughout the night.

CB: I’ve seen you spin with so many different DJs at Phys Ed, from Reed Rothchild to DJ Sega.  Are there any other artists you’d really like to work with?

JN: [There are] so many people I’d love to work with.  I’ve been really feelin’ LMFAO recently and would love to produce a track for them.   And Rye Rye.  I have beats that I’ve made already that I can imagine them on, don’t think the time is right though.

As far as people I’d love to come play at PHYS ED – there’s a few DC homies that I know would murder the party:  Stereo Faith, Jerome Baker III, Trevor Martin, Will Eastman… Other than that, Oh Snap, Tim Dolla, DJ Tamiel, Roxy Cottontail, DJ Pierre, Murder Mark, Starks & Nacey, and somehow get Blaqstarr to come home and play a club set.  There’s so many more people.  I see a lot of people doin’ big things elsewhere.  I want them all to come play Phys Ed and get their life in my house.

CB: Earlier this year, you dropped The Truth About James Nasty.  What’d you want to accomplish with that mix and are you working on anything new?

JN: Most of all I wanted to just put out a mix.  I hadn’t put out a mix in a while.  I wanted to preview some previously unheard and unreleased tracks.  And I just wanted to show people my style and the diversity of the tracks I make and that I had that many good tunes.

I’m working on a longer, more official mixtape right now.  I’m working with a lot of difference MCs and vocalists on some tunes.  I want to get away from remixing and sampling so much and make songs with people while still making authentic club music.  I want this next mixtape to be the soundtrack to the best house party ever.  Some shit you could put on at home, invite some people over, start drinking and just get wild to.

CB: What do you think about the current state of Baltimore club music and how would you like to see it progress?

JN: It would be nice to see 92Q add more club music mixes to their programming schedule and hire more DJs (points at himself).  DJs in clubs around town need to start playing more new club tracks.  We need more new mixtapes.  Someone has to come with something that defines what is hot and current in club music like the Jump Off tapes.  Club producers need to start thinking bigger and making songs that can be copywritten and pushed as singles.  It’s no secret that a lot of major label producers have borrowed a lot of our style.  There’s no reason to complain about it or whine that ‘they stole our sound’ or ‘[they’re] making fake club.’  At this point we need to compete and give the listening public a polished but authentic product.  We have a special sound in this city.  Let’s remind the world again of how amazing it is.

CB: What’s your favorite Baltimore club track of all time?

JN: Really?  That’s impossible!

On January 28th Murder Mark and TT The Artist along with James Nasty and Dj Pierre brought the Bmore Club experience down to Artistika Night Club and Greensboro College. The day after their show they were invited to speak on Baltimore Club Music and future projects with Adam Katzman on WQFS. During this interview Murder Mark and crew speak on alot of controversial subjects such as the recent popularity of “bmore club” influenced billboard hits and the futrue of Baltimore Club Music. This video gives Guilford college and  people outside the streets of Baltimore a taste of what its really like!!!  www.ayomurdermark.com www.tttheartist.com

Make Sure Y’all Download That James Nasty Mixtape If You Haven’t Done So Already
The Truth About James Nasty (The Mixtape) by James Nasty

Download via mediafire

The Truth About James Nasty

How does one go from hating Baltimore club music to becoming the City Paper’s choice for Best Club Music Producer of 2010?  Just ask Murder Mark. As a hip-hopper from the jump, Murder Mark, aka Marquis Gasque, was more used to a certain type of flow and spoken word you normally hear in standard hip-hop.  Some of his favorites were Biggie, Lupe Fiasco, and Kanye West.  He appreciated their unique types of flow, whereas he thought the styling of Baltimore club was merely just noise.   Cut to a few years later when he took a challenge to produce Baltimore club and the rest was history.  Turns out he’s got a knack for creating something he never liked in the first place.   How ‘bout that?

But you can’t make great Baltimore club music without a vast understanding of it.  So after a doing ton of research ranging from just being in the scene, kickin’ it with true Baltimore club heads, and listening to an endless loop of 92Q Jams from DJs like K-Swift and K.W. Griff, Murder Mark turned his hatred into skill in no time.  Look at him now, ayy!
Tear Shit Up by AyoMurderMark1

He’s been praised for his old school-meets-new school mentality – more specifically, the way he uses a unique style of synths, almost like hyperactive techno at times, layered behind original, chopped and looped vocals, an old school element of Baltimore club that some producers have since replaced with Lil Jon loops. What inspired the City Paper to award Murder Mark the title of Best Producer of 2010 was his signature sound being “an absolutely horrifying buzz of synthesizers—like the sound of club’s youth scene attacked by bees—rubbing up against a surprisingly traditionalist sense of sample-chopping and looping.” Murder Mark knows what old school Baltimore club music should sound like, but this is 2011 and he also knows the movement needs to keep moving with the times.

His most notable release to date is his Party Starter EP, which features his original beats behind original vocals by Mike Mike and TT the Artist. Showcasing twelve songs of pure Baltimore club adrenaline, the Party Starter EP is just as it aspires to be – that one joint you play when you’re getting ready to go out, pre-gaming with your friends, or on your way to the club. With grimy, hyperactive tracks like “Cherry Hill and Down Ya Block” and“In My Hood”, it’s the perfect mix to play when you’re looking for the right energy to begin your night – an essential weekend jump-off.

In addition to creating club music on the regular, he’s also an innovator of Zoo On Mars Entertainment, or Z.O.M.E. for short, which is an artist’s collaboration between Murder Mark, TT the Artist, Mike-Mike, D.O.L.L.A.S., K.S., and Doug. Keep a look out for Z.O.M.E. as they’re promoting and booking various artists and gigs in the area. Also, Murder Mark is learning how to DJ so perhaps you’ll see him behind the decks a little sooner than you expected.

I had a chance to talk to Murder Mark recently. Here’s what he had to say about the state of Baltimore club, working with Mike Mike, and where you can find him when he’s not in the studio:

CB:  There’s this grimy, in-your-face element to a lot of your tracks.  Who are some of your influences?

MM:  My main influences are environments and feelings.  Sometimes when I get off of work I just feel frustrated and angry.  I want to take it out on someone, lls.  When it comes to actual producers, I’m influenced by Timbaland, Pharrell (especially his work with The Clipse), Kanye [West], Outkast…all the top names.  Bmore Club Producers…King Tutt, Blaqstarr, Samir, K-Spin, and Say Wut.

CB:  It seems like you’re always cookin’ up some fresh tracks in the studio.  What was your creative process like for the Party Starter EP and what was it like working with Mike Mike?

MM:  Well I always like to use original vocals in a club track when I can.  Mike-Mike has been my go to guy for vocals on plenty of 92Q hits.  I wanted to make a Bmore Club EP that blends club music with club music songs.  All I really did was make the beats and have Mike-Mike say catchy phrases that fit the feel of the beat, then enhance the beat once I had the vocals.  I threw a couple fledged songs on there for good measure with the typical verse hook-verse-hook formula as well.

CB:  Mike Mike and TT The Artist are featured on many of your tracks.  Who are some other artists that you really want to work with?

MM:  I would really would want to work with Outkast, Lupe Fiasco, J.Cole, and Kanye West.  As you can tell I’m a hip-hop head.

CB:  What do you consider to be one of your greatest accomplishments so far?

MM:  My Show In Greensboro with DJ Pierre and James Nasty.  Getting my music on 92Q. 2010 Best Bmore Club Producer Award by the City Paper.

CB:  What can we expect from Murder Mark for the remainder of 2011?  Any hints on what you’re working on now?

MM:  I’m working on this “She Rockin” project with TT The Artist and this joint is gonna be crazy.  Expect to see Murder Mark on tour this summer.  This project might take Bmore Club Music to new heights.  It might flop, but I hope not.  TT is working on a documentary loosely based on Bmore Club Music that I’m gonna be a part of.  This film is gonna be huge as well.

CB:  Where are we most likely to run into you in Baltimore?  What clubs/parties do you hit when you’re not in the studio?

MM:  I used to hit Club One but its closed…I used t hit Sonar but its closed as well, lol (Editor’s Note:  Sonar has since reopened its doors since the publication of this interview). But I still do hit the Paradox on Friday Nights probably once or twice a month.  DJ Big Nasty in the back chamber spinning some of my hottest joints.

CB:  Finally, if you HAD to choose, what would you pick as your favorite Baltimore club track of all time?

MM:  …Umm….”Cherry Hill and Down Ya Block”…of course, lol.  Sike, naw, that’s a hard question.  I would choose “Go Pt. 2” by Say Wut. But it all depends on how I’m feeling.  I could change my mind by the time you post this interview.

King Tutt – Burnin Up by Unruly Records

Named Best Club Music Producer in 2007 by the City Paper’s annual Best of Baltimore competition, DJ King Tutt has been on the up and up ever since. Constantly pushing the boundaries of club music, electro-house music, and a fusion of the two, Tutt strives to never let his talents become stale.  A strong believer in quality of output, you can only expect the absolute best from his mixes and live performances.

If you’ve been into the Baltimore music scene for a while, you’ve at least gotta know Tutt for his tracks like “Shake My Ass”, “African Chant”, and “The Roof Is On Fire”.  Tutt’s been producing tracks since I was twelve years old and playin’ kickball at recess.  Okay, so I might be young, but he’s really been in the game so long that he’s become a respected Baltimore institution.  After “Shake My Ass” gained the approval of Baltimore club king Scottie B, Tutt became his go-to guy for productions.  Scottie B and Tutt quickly formed a dynamic duo and became an untouchable force as prominent DJs and producers for the events and releases of Unruly Records.

Tutt is all about testing his limits in the realm of music.  To hear a perfect example of his house/club music hybrid, check out his Evolution EP, released in 2008.  There are seven tracks on this EP, but two of them specifically stand out to me:  “The Future” and “Black Democrat”.  “The Future” touts this, well…, futuristic house music appeal while “Black Democrat” sounds like this epic, Baltimore club march.  Juxtaposing these two totally different vibes onEvolution says a lot about Tutt’s confidence in his skills as a DJ and producer.

Last month, he released his latest electro-house mix, Say Hello to the Bad Guy.  Nineteen tracks deep, Bad Guy quickly whisks you away to the sunniest of days with its upbeat melodies and steady grooves.  One listen to this mix and you’ll quickly find yourself in the right mindset for your evening outing or just coolin’ out at the crib.  Check my review of it here, but more importantly,download the mix and listen for yourself!  Trust me, you might need the energy for your weekend jumpoff.

If you wanna hear more of Tutt’s house mixes, why don’t you go catch him live and in action this weekend?  He’ll be playin’ some records at the Deep Sugarparty on Saturday at the Paradox in Baltimore.  Dude’s mad busy so don’t sleep on this chance to see him play!

But, I wanted to get to know Tutt a little better so I hit him up with a few questions for Cool Breezy.  I’m sharin’ the wealth!  Here he talks about Say Hello to the Bad Guy, the state of music in Baltimore, and what it takes to be a good producer.

Cool Breezy: How long have you been in the DJing/producing game and what initially brought you into it?

King Tutt: I started DJing in ‘95 after my father died and producing in ‘99. I used the money that I received to buy my first set of turntables. But, while going through school, I played various instruments and was in the band. My main focus was the percussion section and I was also a drummer. I took classes in music theory, as well. So, basically I was DJing and playing the drums at the same time. I’m one of the few producers and DJs in Baltimore that can actually read and write sheet music. While I was in high school, I worked as a DJ and floor guard at Skateland Orchard in Towson. [That] is where I first start DJing on a regular basis for a large crowd.

CB: Who or what influences your particular style of electro-house music?

KT: For me, I have always had a love for house music. Everybody in Baltimore knows the deep house classics but you never hear new stuff. So when Scottie [B] and me started producing and DJing together [and] by him traveling around the world, he exposed me to what the rest of the world was listening to and I started loving it! So I would, and still do, frequently visit YouTube and search various DJs like David Guetta, Carl Cox, and others to see how DJs are gods overseas. I also have a strong love for good Baltimore club music. So I like to ride the thin line between the two and see how far I can take it. When I’m in my studio, it really depends on how I feel that day and what I’m working with.

CB: Describe the creative process for your most recent mix, Say Hello to the Bad Guy, and what were your goals for the mix?

KT: At least one person a day will ask me for a mix of some sort. So as much as I hate recording myself mix, I decided to start doing it on a frequent basis. First, it starts with satellite radio. Listening to different DJs mix, I kinda study what tracks are [being] played. I choose what songs I like and what I feel are the best songs for me to play with my style of DJing. Then, I will call a couple different DJs and we swap files. After I pick through the all the songs for the mix, I turn the turntables on…and go!

The goal of the mix was for everybody to know that I do DJ! Some people know me for my production and some people know me for my DJing. I want everybody to know that I do both. It was a chance for everybody who hasn’t heard me mix in awhile to see what I have been up to while I’m working on my new EP.

CB: What do you think about the state of music and production in Baltimore right now?

KT: We can talk about this all day!!!! In Baltimore, it’s getting better and worse at the same time. I think all of the serious artists in Baltimore have really stepped their game up in the last couple of years with the level of products that are being released. But I think [there’s] still too many people in this city that take what they do as a hobby or joke. For example, a lot of people come to me to talk about production, but they use terrible equipment. If you’re serious about what you do, you try to get the best possible gear. I have seen producers use the same beginner equipment for their whole career. [There’s] no way possible for you to get [professional] results with beginner equipment! Some rappers in this city don’t even have any type of recording equipment. I think that’s crazy. Another thing that bothers me is that some DJs will play anything and don’t have the heart to tell some artists that the song needs work. I have heard so much garbage on the radio it really kills me. If an artist thinks he or she can just put anything together and expect me to play it, they have another thing coming!

CB: You have a solid reputation in the game. Do you have any advice for present and future DJs and producers?

KT: Study what you love! Don’t be in a rush for people to hear your work. If you’re good, it will come out eventually. Don’ t be afraid to be different. Lastly, if this is want you wanna do, spend money! Anything that is cheap, is cheap for a reason!

CB: So, what do you do when you’re not playing records and producing tracks?

KT: A lot of people don’t know that I’m a police officer. So basically, I work all day!!!! On my rare off days, I try to spend as much time with my family as I can. I’m a movie and TV dude too. I can watch the discovery channel and the Bourne Trilogy all day! I recently just brought a ps3 also, so let’s see how this works out with that.

“ We don’t live in a soci­ety where… I mean even Hip-Hop’s orig­i­na­tors don’t get respect and that’s sad… A lot of those orig­i­na­tors did a huge ser­vice but for what­ever rea­son whether it was drugs or what­ever. It wasn’t as prof­itable as it is now. As far as B’more goes if you want to be con­sid­ered a pio­neer you have to be active. Any artis­tic field you have to be active.… because there’s a 19 year old kid who does it bet­ter than you who doesn’t give a fuck. Who doesn’t live in Bmore and will never go there. He’ll call it Philly Club it’s already happening.”

You can also listen to the interview via mp3! Thanks to Brad Winter who talked with Tameil on the 20th of June 2010!

So I read you were Redman’s neighbour?

Yeah, we’re sorta like cousins but not cousins, you know it was because we grew up together, his mother is like my grandmother’s sister, you know, it’s just like a big family thing, even though we’re not family. Pretty much taught me how to DJ before time, you know I was about 7 years old, and it was the first time that I was ever actually on the stage in front of a crowd, at my uncle’s wedding, and I played EU’s “Doin da Butt”.

How did that go, how did that track fly?

Ah, It went very good! You know it was like once I got the crowd response from that, it was just like in my mind, wow! you know I could actually be a DJ!

So you felt it then right?

Yeah I felt it.

Did you play more tracks that night?

No, actually that was my only one because my mother was one of those people where, you know, “you’re 7 years old, you touch that stuff and you break it, I’m not paying for it!” so, that was it! But they told me from here and there, you know my uncles had equipment at home and all of this stuff you know so that’s all I really payed attention to while everybody else was playing with toys, I had a battery operated turntable that I used to keep all the time, it was a Fisher-Price turntable! But I kept it with me everywhere.

You used to use tapes, you used to break the doors off right?

Oh yes, I could tell you a long story about that. I actually have somebody that’s outdone me, but yeah I used to break the tape doors off the radios and just slow the tapes down with my fingers so that I could get a good mix, and I would record the mix with another radio… it was just so much, man! I would end up with like three different radios just so I could get everything right. One to cue the records up, one to play and one to record.

So this is like DJing with tapes, like mixing a track from a tape with another tape right?

Yeah, [laughs].

I never heard of anybody doing that!

Hey man, you gotta do what you gotta do!

So can you tell us about the Brick Bandits crew, what that’s all about?

Oh the Brick Bandits crew was.. OK I’ll give you a little history on that. Yeah, you know for a few years before that, you know I used to be the known guy around Jersey, you know when it came to Chicago Juke music, I was the man to go to, because you know I used to get all the records before everyone else, so they knew me to be the go-to guy and then I got introduced to some of the guys from Baltimore that was producing, and at the time I was young, so you know they weren’t really accepting me but I was buying all their records. After a while they saw that I was really serious, and I was producing Baltimore style tracks and bringing it to them, and they’d listen to it and they’d be like “OK you definitely got a different style, you add a little bit more to it” They gave me their blessings to bring it back to Jersey, and that’s when I created the Jersey side of it, which I call Brick City Club music, but it’s still Baltimore Club music, you know that’s where it came from. You know then after about a few years, I would say around maybe 2002, and I met these guys Tim Dolla, Mike V, Black Mike, and you know it was a couple of guys in the crew but actually what happened was I had the whole scene on lock and they knew that they had to come through me to get known by everybody else, so actually what happened was I had a vinyl that I pressed up myself, I had started my own label, Anthrax Records. And to me, well I listen to it to this day, and this probably happens with everybody, I can’t stand those records! I can’t stand them, you know I listen to the way I produce now, and the way that I did then. My sound then was so flat! But I guess they saw that side of it, and they decided to attack it.

The Baltimore people you mean?

No no no, the Brick Bandits! So they’re also from Jersey. Ok, so what happened was they decided to attack that, and I had a lot of CDs out at the time, so they put out one CD, I guess it was like one or two guys that had stands that I actually bought from them, so I just happened to be blasting my music on my stand one day, and I heard a guy down the street, and all I heard was “eeexcluusiiive!” that was the Brick Bandits drop at the time! So after I heard that I turned mine down, and I’m listening, and I heard one of my records playing at first, and I was like “Oh cool!” you know, “Somebody else bought my record!” So all of a sudden you know it was just like a record scratching “rrrrrrip!” and then you heard some laughing and everything like that, so I was like “Wait a minute!” I went and got the CD, I was listening to it myself, so I called the number that was on the bottom of the CD. I was like “What the hell, that was supposed to be a diss towards my music?” And the guy on the phone… deep voice, he’s just like “YEAH! YEAH MOTHAFUCKA YEAH!” I’m like “What the hell?” That was Mike V of course! [laughs] Mike V is like Debo! Mike V actually reminds you of.. you ever seen Everybody Hates Chris, the father on it? The big guy! That’s who he looks like, and we crack on him about that all the time, but instead of us taking it to a level where, you know it would get like stupid and everything like that, because we had a lot of teenagers, and we still do these days. We try to look like big brothers and sisters to them, so you know it would be stupid for us to go back and forth and create a scene where they would think that it’s something more than it is, so we decided to put all of that aside, and come together as a team. You know, and to this day we just have a huge family. We don’t even really call it a team or anything like that anymore we just call it a family, because that’s actually what it is, you know, it’s a family.

So it started out with some conflict right? And then you kind of built up..

Yeah, it was a conflict on records, it wasn’t actually a street beef, but you know, the teenagers they don’t think about stuff like that these days, they think in a different direction so while we’re on thinking about record beef, they’re thinking about street beef, so we had to be adults and think about the situation like OK, well you know rather than this happen we’d rather get this out the way now, we’re just going to become a family, instead of.. you know, because they were hot! They were very hot, but you know me being the man at the moment, I’m like “Oh, no, you’re not gonna come at my throat with it! [laughs] And I’m not going to do anything about it” you know so the records went back and forth for a little while, and I was so powerful that everybody was just like… no we’re not messin’ with Brick Bandits!

So you were already highly respected because of the Chicago Juke thing?

Yeah, it was that first, and then it went on to the Baltimore stuff because you know I was producing that at the time, and I was the only guy doing it. Yeah I was the only guy doing the Baltimore sound, and that sound was growing at the time in Jersey you know because they were buying the records from the store down there, Music Liberated, which the guy Bernie (Rest in Peace, he died in a car accident) But he had everything. He was the man to go to just like they had Barnie’s records in Chicago that was putting out all of the juke music. He was the man for Baltimore Club because he was the man with the money that was putting out all of the vinyls like every week. So yeah, everybody was buying from this guy, and pretty much the scene was really growing in Jersey at the time, and being that I was the guy that was producing that everybody knew at the time, plus I had the Chicago side, it was just like, wow, I was just the man not to be messing with, and they knew that, that’s why they tried to come at me so that.. I would actually say their names and blow them up, but it went the opposite way, but we formed a family after that.

So you started Anthrax records right, are those still floating around?

Actually some people, some people sometimes still hit me up and they’ll be like, “yo I got that first record that you put out!” and I’m like wow… I hate that record! [laughs] But you know it’s a start, it’s a start. Actually that Anthrax thing, it started as a joke, because it was like right after 9/11, and we were actually downtown Newark when we were talking about the drug that was, like with their drugs and everything like that, we was like… you know they make up something out of everything, so we was like, you’d hear a drug dealer out here talking about “yo I got two for five on that anthrax!” So that just became a big joke and then it just went around to everybody. So then the kids from high school used to come to my stand everyday, you know to dance in front of my stand and listen to what I had new out, so they came back one day and was like “Yo we just made this new team called Anthrax! Like we gotta handshake and everything!” so I was like, OK as long as it’s not nothing.. you know like a gang or nothing like that, it’s cool. So it went so far as like… y’all around everyday… um.. I’m gonna make a record label out of this! You know? And it just took off from there, but this thing lasted maybe a year or two, you know I still got people running around that say it, you know, it’s still got the classic feel to it, it’s still fun becuase you know everybody wants that to still be around but, you know I went with so many other labels, you know from Baltimore to all over that just wanted tracks from me, so you know, everything just became reality.

I also picked something up, you’re about to work on something in Chicago called It’s About Time Records? [note: the label is now officially called "Ghettophiles"]

Yeah, actually there’s this guy in Chicago named Neema, he started this new record label, which is… actually this is a good thing because now that I met him, I ran into like a lot of the cats from Chicago that I used to look up to, and he introduced me to some of them, and some of them afterwards, after I just did this tour in Europe, and United Kingdom, I was with these two guys from Chicago named DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn, and actually we’re about to work on a joint venture that will cross the two, and this is gonna be big, man, it’s gonna be big! [laughs]

Keep an eye out! Ghettophiles! So what was the biggest party you ever played?

Oh god, [laughs] I can cross this beat anywhere between parties and concerts, you know I think my first major concert that I did was a Kelly Price concert which included Jaheim, Changing Faces, Dave Hollister, there was so many artists in that, man, that show was huge, but then I did shows like Hampton University, Norfolk University, it was.. oh man, so many huge parties man.. so many.. I would have to say Hampton and Norfolk, you know the homecomings.

Yeah they know how to party right?

Yeah. yeah [laughs]

So what new music styles are you feeling now?

Oh, new music styles.. they might not be so new, but they’re new to me. Ok, I would have to say Electro for one… and Dubstep! Dubstep has grown on me and the past year and a half, like, I love it I can’t stay away from it now, and it’s funny because the area where I’m from, it used to be open, like when there was just the huger DJs’ names around, like there were ones before me, like Cool Lou and a few others, but at the time you know… I think this happens everywhere. I think it pretty much happens everywhere where nowadays you have DJs that just can’t DJ at all. And everybody wants to be a DJ just because they get their hands on a piece of equipment or a program and this and that, and you know they really can’t do anything! [laughs] But actually how that goes is.. my area is so stuck right now, to one or two styles of music, they don’t like to listen to anything outside of what they know, so when I’m riding down my street they see my BMW coming down the street and I got a loud system.. I got a loud system in my BMW! [laughs] So I came back from Texas the year before last playing dubstep, and I still do to this day, and people were lookin’ at me like “What the hell is that? That sounds like transformer music!” I’m like “Open your eyes, you don’t know. You don’t know about this stuff right here, it’s huge.” But I’m hooked on it now because I’ve seen great people play it, like I would say AC Slater.. AC Slater’s great! And I’ve seen DJ Craze play it, DJ Craze and DJ Klever, like, those were the most awesome sets to me. I think that was what turned me on to it right there, you know when I seen them play it, and then afterwards I just started to look up more tracks and it was just like.. it just blew my mind, man! Jakes, I met Jakes.. Jakes is one of the coolest guys ever man! [laughs]

So you played in Europe.. would you say that playing outside New Jersey is different then playing in your hometown?

Yes, I found that in a lot of these other cities, and overseas too, like they’re more susceptible to listening to other different types of music and I love it! I love when I can go outside of.. it’s like a no holds barred thing. That’s how I feel, you know I feel like I can just go on there and just.. release on, you know just let them hear all of the different styles that I like to play. Whereas around my area it’s just like I’m stuck to what they like to hear, it’s like if you play outside of that, you look like you’re the wack DJ, because you’re playing something they’re not used to, when it used to be… around you know the time when I was at my height in Jersey… well I’m still at my height I’m not gonna say it that way! But they’re so busy listening to the people who don’t know how to DJ right now, that it’s just crazy, like there’s those few styles and that’s all they know. So when you play outside of that it’s just like, what the hell is he playing?

So you found last night at Fortune you were able to play some interesting stuff?

Oh yeah, a lot of the times you know people’s eyes are open when they look at me it’s just like, they look at me and they see a certain type of music because they know that’s what I make, you know, I make Baltimore Club, Brick City Club Music and that’s what they expect to hear from me, so when they hear me go outside of it and I’m playing electro and dubstep and everything else like that… I can tell you one story, like what happened at SXSW this past year, I went down there and I was playing dubstep and everything like that, and I heard about it afterwards that everyone was on their Twitter like “OH Shit! Tameil is playing dubstep I can’t believe this” I’m like “man you really don’t know what I know!” So you know like I like to get out there in those areas where I can just open up and release, and just let them hear everything that I know.

Yeah, DJ Sega was here a couple weeks ago and he played the dopest RnB set!

Yeah, that’s like my brother there! [laughs] Sega is like my brother man, we’re together all the time! I take the ride down to Philly every monday, we do this thing down there called Mad Decent Mondays, it’s great. [laughs] Great!

Is that a club night in Philly?

Yeah it’s at a club named Fluid. It’s up and down in there you know, some weeks it’ll be like, a lot of people in there and you’d expect the same thing next weekend.. the next week is just.. crickets, it’s just us! But you know we still have fun, that’s the whole point!

Of course! Do you have any tips for anyone who wants to get into producing, any technical tips you can let us in on?

For producing? I would just say about my brand of music, but I’m gonna say for all brands of music right now. If you want to be involved in a certain style of music, please study it before you try to do any tracks because you… you actually hurt the people that have been there before you, you know you come out and you think you know what you’re doing, and don’t know anything about the history, so now you come out with all of these wack tracks and everything like that, and you’re flooding the internet, you’re flooding everywhere with it, so.. you’re putting out so much of that trash that when regular people who don’t know the difference between producers and everything like that, they hear that stuff, and they think that’s it is to it! Like OK, the top producers may put out maybe four tracks.. four or fives tracks within.. let’s even say monthly. But if every day.. you and about a thousand other DJs are putting out something of that style… every day! At least four or five times a day then it’s like… they don’t know the difference, so they’re listening to all of this stuff and the guy that’s putting out the stuff that.. you know the real stuff– I’m not really even going to diss a new producer like that, I’m just going to say, just study before you get into it. That’s really all I have to say about that. You know, because it’s been a big change in music lately where there’s just a lot of people that see the popularity.. they see that they can get popular from it, or make money from it or get girls that like them just because they do it, and they don’t know anything about the history at all, like I’ve heard a lot of false stories and you know a lot of this floats around the internet too! Like: “Perculator came from Baltimore.” No… Perculator came from Chicago! And you know it’s just a whole bunch of false information, I think that if people really want to know the history of a music they should go and study it. Find out who was there first. Find out the real facts, the real truth from the people who were there, the people who did it. Instead of just finding a bunch of information from places like Wikipedia or… you know Wikipedia can be changed by anybody! Anybody can just go on there, you know log in and.. “oh I think this information should be in there, let me add this!” And a lot of the times it’s false information, like sometimes they will change the whole thing and everything is false! And you know the regular people they don’t know any better, they just take that and they think that’s the real information, they just run with it! So yeah definitely do a lot of studying before you get into it, and if you get into it make sure your heart is into it. You know and this is what you really want to do and, you know, cross-reference the two, man, study… study what was there before you, who was there before you, and take that and if it’s really in your heart you know, go for it.

DJ Tameil says do your homework!

Do your homework, please! [laughs] Please, you know a lot of people these days think that it’s just that. You know you pick up an instrument, pick up a turntable, and I’ma speak on that too, because a lot of people, I don’t know where this came form, but they get it confused that just because you’re a DJ you’re a producer, and because you’re a producer, you’re a DJ… some people were just blessed with both. Some people can do both. A lot of people can’t do either. And a lot of people can just do one.

Dirty South Joe, Dj Sega, Dj TaMeiL, Tim Dolla, Momie, Gunz Garcia, Jimmy Jones, KW Griff, Booman, Dj Yahmeen (Brick Bandits meets DDK)

What would you consider yourself, more of a producer or more of a DJ?

I think I’m level on both, I think I’m pretty much level on both, because you know I’ve been DJing since seven. I wasn’t good around seven, but I got good maybe around sixteen years old, that’s when I really really really started to take it seriously.

So would you play like 3 or 4 times a week then, or what kind of things did you do?

Yeah, just about three of four times a week, or.. you know my practice was every day, daily. I would recommend that to everybody too you know if that’s what you really want to do, then practice it every day. I ate DJing, I slept DJing, I.. everything, you know.. DJing..

And your family too right?

Yeah, all of my uncles were DJs, you know, I don’t know why they gave up… [laughs]. You know I held on to it even though they gave it up, I was just telling, it’s funny I was just telling one of the old G producers that I look up to, from Baltimore, Technics. I was just telling him the other day that when my uncle, one of my main uncles that was DJing, he threw out all of his records, and put ‘em on the side of the house. I maybe was around.. I probably was seven or eight years old at the time! But there was this one particular record, I knew the label of it, I just knew what it looked like. And when I seen those records out on the side of the house that day it kinda hurt me that he stopped, but I was like “I gotta look for that record!” It was Vaughan Mason’s “Bounce Rock Skate Roll”! I took that record out of the trash and I held onto it for.. I hid it under the couch, I [laughs] everything with that record, I just had to have it! You know I mean… DJing just meant so much to me, you know I just wanted to be a DJ so bad, you know so I went through life, I remember all of the first records that I had of my own that I used to play on my Fisher-Price turntable. Red Man’s mother actually gave me a copy of James Brown’s “Living in America”, and I had.. my mother bought me New Edition “Candy Girl”, I had Rebbie Jackson’s “Centipede”. Man, [laughs] I remember all of that stuff! And it’s funny I can remember all of that stuff when I was so young, but you can ask me about somebody I met last week and I’m like “who?” [laughs].

On the photo we see a good looking blond girl, in the music we hear some mix between Lady gaga, MIA and Uffy on some Baltimore club music. Who exactly is Kellee Maize?

That is quite a compliment. Thanks! I am an entrepreneur, mystic, activist, dancer, performer and obviously a rapper/singer/songwriter/poet. I am very into empowering females…..and men while in this process. I have a whole hard core world view about why it is important to empower women but I won’t get all crazy now, and it is hard to explain. (My first album would help a little

I am also very into quantum physics, creating your reality, questioning authority and staying positive despite what you find during the questioning. It’s hard but worth the try. I think we have a powerful force inside of each of us that can help transform the planet. The outside world reflects what is inside so we all have a responsibility to tune into the right frequency and add our positivity to the world as best we can. My music is the best vehicle I have found to do so and i feel like i was put here to do this I feel like everyone has a very important gift to offer the world…and I think this is my purpose.

That line specifically means I work with Unruly but I also mean that despite being around a lot of chaos, I am attempting to keep my mind clear, a vital part of transforming yourself so you can really be helpful….and the HARDEST THING for me to do! (not that unruly records is chaos but, the meaning of the word unruly…). I try to meditate as much as possible because my mind is always going. It gets easier everyday but, we are still human.

My connection to Unruly came through my company, Nakturnal. We have been helping with some events in Baltimore for the last few years, not many recently however. We helped get some sponsorship for the first My Crew Be Unruly (AMAZING PARTY!!) and I attended to help carry out the sponsorship. I met Shawn that night and gave him my first album. A month later I hit him up to see if he checked it out. He said he really wanted to help me but didn’t work with too many hip hop producers, since Age of Feminine doesn’t have any club or electronic beats. I said I wanted to rhyme over some bmore club. He asked why I didn’t tell him that sooner and the rest is history. I came to Bmore several times to build with Scottie and Tutt. I told them about all my crazy theories and they still gave me the music. I really love those guys! They let me use any tracks I wanted. Tutt and I plan to work on some new tracks soon.

You’re sharing the music for free? New business model?

Yes, that is the plan. I am just excited to let people hear the message and the music. I hope it makes people think, feel hopeful in their power and I wanna make people dance….very important. But, I want to do this full time so I have to create a revenue stream. I love performing, traveling and writing so I have been drawing from my own experience creating my company and working with a lot of close friends to formalize a plan to make it crack. We hope when people get it for free they like it and wanna support me in the future. I hope its a model that works quickly so I can eventually help other artists. I have always wanted Nak to have a label, that is an ultimate goal but I wanna do it like Ani and make music while I am helping other conscious artists.

Download and listen to the tracks

Could you tell me who are you?

Well, my name is Ronald James.¬†¬†I hail from East Baltimore City. I’ve been in Baltimore all my life¬†and I do a decent amount of stuff.¬†I’m a lover of music, fashion, creativity, and milk shakes.¬†I am the host of the weekly 90 minute podcast, The Tempo Tandrum, which can be found at http://www.thetempotandrum.com. ¬†I’m co-owner of the streetwear line Status Apparatus which can be found at¬†http://www.statusapparatus.com/¬†In addition to that, I formed a production situation called The Tempo Tandrum. I produce all sorts of things including hip-hop, ¬†Baltimore Club, and pop.¬†

So youre starting a clothing line, tell me something about that!

Status Apparatus was launched a couple months ago. I’ve loved fashion for the bulk of my life so it was only right that I got into designing myself. When I was 18, I was put on to streetwear and sneaker culture. It was quality stuff that was creative. It wasn’t sold everywhere so the oversaturation wasn’t there. I was fascinated by it and I wanted to bring it to Baltimore because I noticed that all the companies, were based out of the same places. Stussy, The Hundreds, Kilo, Alife, 10 Deep, Supreme are all brands that had a strong presence in LA or NY (or all of the other major cities). I wanted to create a brand that was from Baltimore but didn’t use it as a gimmick. A brand that has good designs and a good message behind it, but just so happens to be out of Baltimore. Consistency is the key and I think we are prepared for the long haul.

You believe in living under the baltimore sun!?

Yup! I wholeheartedly do believe in it. That is one our launch shirts with a very interesting message.  Baltimore culture is amazing to me. Sights, sounds, smells. Summer is approaching and it is crab season so it is an amazing time to be a Baltimorean . For the full explanation of the shirt go to  http://www.statusapparatus.com.

The idea behind Status Apparatus is one of the many reasons people will love the brand. Status is a very huge part of our existance as people. Our lifestyle choices, clothing, cars and everything in between speak of our position in life (if you have the means). For some people it is expensive paintings, for others it is purses or sneakers. The logo is a very simple representation of status. It is the cartoon bubble displaying the grenade, heart and coins. On a very basic level, it is money, power and respect. These are three things that are very indicative of status. I wanted to use these symbols because when things are marketed to consumers, it is often sold to us through those means.

www.statusapparatus.com