Quest "The Unborn Child" Interview
Quest “The Unborn Child” sounds off by CyPhEr777 (C73)
October 7, 2009
Link to Official Interview
Napeirtian Logarithm - Depressed Ejection Fraction by Quest The Unborn Child
Is Hip-Hop Dead? If yes, explain. If no, explain:
Hip-Hop is dead because the mainstream killed the reason why Hip-Hop was created.
However, the underground has kept it alive and strong for the real heads. It’s a double
sided dilemma with a lot of answers to go with many questions. I will zombify Hip-Hop
and watch it eat the brains of the mainstream “Die Motherf*ckers”!!!
What is your vision of Hip Hop’s future?
All good music will only be released in other countries, oh wait! That’s now…. I envision that
Hip-Hop’s future will only be truly reveled in the underground, because past, present and future,
mainstream people will never understand why we love this culture so much and what it brings to
the table physically, mentally as an art form.
you listen to other forms of music outside of Hip Hop, if yes WHAT?
Metal, Rock, Classic Rock, Alternative, Jazz, Classical…
Who were your artistic/musical influences growing up?
Kurtis Blow, Big Daddy Kane, Tribe Called Quest, Soul Sonic Force,
Ultra Magnetic Emcee’s, Fab Five, De La Soul, Rakim, Audio Two, Slick Rick,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Wu-Tang Clan, Grave Diggaz, Boot Camp Click, Kool Keith,
Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Ozbourne, KISS, Beatles… The list goes on…
What is your music background?
Born in Brooklyn and Raised in Staten Island, NY, I came up around a lot
of Zulu’s who were emcees or promoted for Wu-Tang. I went to school with many
extended family members of the Wu-Tang. When I would be in the projects, I would
see them around and some times watch them kick ciphers,but I was mad young
and didn’t know then I wanted to be an emcee, but I did know I loved Hip-Hop
and everything it represented. When I moved to Jersey I was 10 and around
kats who freestyled, battled and would make demo tapes. So I started writing
until I filled up like 30 books. Was it good? Probably not, but it was where I
started. It’s when I moved to Florida I met this cat Voider through some friends
and we formed Abstrakt Distortion. Then through an acquaintance I met Jes right
before he got started on Paramanu Recordings and a bunch of other
kats in the same circles.
How do you describe your music to people?
The last score before the Musick for the last days comes upon us and the
Zombies rise from hell and kill everyone….
What image do you think your music conveys?
Distressed by the hardening I’ve had to endure through out life and the sick bastard
thoughts that brew in my head everyday.
What’s your outlook on the record industry today?
All suits controlling the way they want Hip-Hop to be marketed just to make
that green back. The industry is as shady as the f*ckin government. Everything comes
with a cost that only ends up with reluctant consequences. Underground heads that I know
will never sell out to perceive the culture for wrong doings.
What inspires you to do what you do?
The life I’ve had to live from the day I started walking ‘til now.
All the life’s experiences thrown at me and been lucky to conquer.
My wife and all my brothers doing their thing musically that inspires me to
continue when I want to quit; and leave it all behind me, but music always finds a way
to fall back into my life “It’s meant to be I guess”.
What project or projects are you currently working on? When will they be released?
After a long hiatus I’m returning to release a few projects with long time familia
and partners Voider “Filthy Slob Unshaven” from Abstrakt Distortion & Jes “The Universual”
from Paramanu Recordings. Voider and I will be working on a whole new set of tracks, but I
won’t release the name of EP title until we’re about 85% done. Void has already started 16
new beats and we’ll choose from those. Jes and I have a project called Napier Logarithm and that
will be something to look forward to, not including a bunch of other projects Jes is cooking up for
the label in general. Along the way I have some great emcees/producers
I’m also currently working with such as Take 7 from Boston, MA;
we’re working on a project called “Claustrophobic Logic” & Timmo from Sendai Japan
working on a project called 100 days.
If you had an opportunity to collaborate with ANY artist or artists (dead or alive) in
ANY genre of music/art, who would you choose? And why?
I would have loved to make music with my great uncle Mongo Santamaria.
An Afro Cuban Jazz Legend, a man who escaped the grips of Fidel Castro’s communism.
I never got to meet him, but I heard most of all his records because of my family.
I tried to link up with his son out of his 11 kids who was the only one to play the bongos
and timbales like him. However, I think the death of his father just destroyed him and he
wanted nothing to do with music, at least that’s what I heard from my family.
Before he passed Mongo Santamaria’s bongos were placed into the Smithsonian.
It would have been something else to work with both of them and get down
on their level of music.
Tracy Graham on All Terrain Bathroom Tile
Local Musician V8 approached me with the idea of doing his album art, for his yet to be
released collaboration with east coast’s musician Shortrock. “I want some Alejandro Jodorowsky
type sh*t” was the way he described to me about what we were going for.
I took on the job, playing off of the idea of bathrooms meets electro meets Jodorowsky.
They let me take off with my own direction behind the art, with only one stipulation;
I have to use one panel of the digi-pack, for a piece of art he made. That was fair.
I took over the direction and hired Anna Cali, a long time friend and special effects make-up artist to
take care of making the model look bald and blue. The model is also a long time friend, Angie Vitzthum, who did
a great job at holding those wires in her mouth, and going through the whole extensive painting process.
We shot this album art in about 15 minutes, and spent a good amount of time in the post edits.
Once all the art work for the panels was all set and done, V8 sent me the copy and track-listing
for the rest of the elements. Prior to the artwork and album, V8 and Shortrock never
developed a moniker for them selves, so I went ahead and developed the logo that you see
on the cover panel. As for the rest, I played around with the copy, and realized there is a
whole lot of copy here for such a limited number of panels. I solved this, by basically going over the
document with V8 and “trimming off the fat”. From there, we were able to easily go
in and designate the back for the tracklisting and legal info and logos, and devote the inside left
panel to show call-outs for collaborations on tracks.
Navigation:
Quest "The Unborn Child" Interview | Shortrock Interview | Tracy Graham on All Terrain Bathroom Tile