2008 Woodie Awards
Disiphering the Ingeniuse
Sharl Tate
Issue date: 9/25/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
My first assignment for The Carolinian landed me on the patio of College Hill Tuesday night. Not knowing exactly what to expect, the only emotion I allowed myself to feel was silent excitement. If I would have known what kind of treat I was getting for my first interview, it would have been harder to keep my emotions so muted. At 9:30 in walks Zano, deez, and Stu!, three spectacular men all members of Endless Mic, the North Carolina rap group represented by the indie record label Trekky Records.
With organic and sometimes serendipitous tracks on their new album Baby Geniuses, Endless Mic has undefined and redefined a new and rarely explored stream of rap. Zano, deez and Stu! are the three points in a triangle connected by a common love for music.
The first thing I noticed about this trio is their since of brotherhood as they discussed who bought whom a spare beer out of the few that rest on the table. The humorous and playful spirit of these guys defiantly shines through their music. Despite my initial offense of telling Zano that their fun-loving spirit on their latest album reminded my of a similar vibe from Gym Class Heroes, the guys were quick to forgive and share all their in-depth answers to my questions.
The group comes from an honest background. Raised in Chapel Hill and Durham, the three met each other through a mutual friend on a common music project. It has simply been their rooted love for music that brought Endless Mic to the Carolina forefront in an eclectic vibe of hip-hop.
The band shared with me many of their inspirations and techniques applied to their music. They do not hesitate to declare sampling as an art form. Whereas many just twist the lyrics in the chorus of a copy and paste '70s classic, producer deez takes a pop art approach to his tracks, making the old sounds of Dorothy London not only new and melodic but certainly more urban chic than she was in the '50s. Add the unique fusion of deez's production with the stern, serious, and sometimes silly rhythm and lyrics of Zano and Stu!, and out comes the organic, soulful, and truthful music that the rap industry is desperate need of.
Although these guys are some of the coolest, down-to-earth, and most laid-back people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, there is one thing that seems to ruffle their feathers: bad attitudes. In particular the bad of attitudes of other musicians. They admire other artist, in particular Lil' Wayne and Solider Boy, but they feel some artists take it to the wrong level when they begin trash-talking music. The guys have made a conscious and wise decision to remain humble and thankful to their musical roots.
Endless Mic's way of dodging this almost unavoidable clash between artist and art is to make music a part of their life rather than allowing it to engulf them.
"We are, [on this album] who we are in real life," Stu! says.
"I have many other interests outside of music," deez tells me. He explains that it's easy to lose your respect for something when that's all you do. This is why Endless Mic isn't just about beats; they're all for education.
In fact, music is such a passion for these three educated young men that I couldn't help but to ask, "Why are you in college if music is what you love to do?"
From their chuckled and immediate response it was apparent that they have been asking themselves the same thing for a while. Their motivations for staying in college go beyond "plan B" and rest in the simple joy of stimulating curriculum, conversation, and interaction with students and faculty. They express their thoughts on how education can only enhance their music by providing them a wider range of issues and styles to utilize. Endless Mic does not view education as their temporary set back, but as their long-term accomplishment. deez also makes the vary valid point that three years of education is a lot to discard, being that the album was dropped and completed in Zano and Stu!'s last year.
"Education is like mashed potatoes," deez says "It goes with everything!"
I now see why their first track is entitled, "Academia". It genius baby! "So what do you say to those that do give up everything for their art?" I asked.
"Definitely! Yeah," Stu! commented.
deez followed, "Balls to the walls, for sure!"
Further into our discussion we tapped into the genius beyond the album's song construction. There is a guaranteed new find every time you listen to the album. Between layers of diverse subject matter and various artist compilations-including Calee Salem Crash, Absalute and others-the thirst for sincere sounds is always quenched. "Zip Zap Rap" is one of the most well thought out tracks on the album. Endless Mic uses satire to emphasize their thoughts on the demeanors of the rap industry. Zano and Stu! imitate the very attitudes they strive not to have on this track of industrial critique.
Their first single, "Watching Your World," is less deliberate and more an act of serendipity. The bits and pieces were glued together without any real motives in the beginning. However, in my opinion, it stands alone as one of the best songs on the album. It carries a more serious vibe than the other tracks yet a more in depth subject matter. The track's seriousness was part of the reason the band was hesitant to make it the first single. Timid that it misrepresented the rest of the album.
Baby Geniuses belongs in every accomplished and admirable CD collection. Since the album was released nation wide Sept. 17, there's no sound excuse why it shouldn't be in yours. Despite their sincere desire to give the CD away for free, you can cop it for a modest ticket price of $10 at any of your local record stores (the guys prefer that you show support to some of the less popular local spots in the Triad).
What a Tuesday!
For more information check out the band's MySpace at www.myspace.com/endlessmic1, or their official website at endless.com.
With organic and sometimes serendipitous tracks on their new album Baby Geniuses, Endless Mic has undefined and redefined a new and rarely explored stream of rap. Zano, deez and Stu! are the three points in a triangle connected by a common love for music.
The first thing I noticed about this trio is their since of brotherhood as they discussed who bought whom a spare beer out of the few that rest on the table. The humorous and playful spirit of these guys defiantly shines through their music. Despite my initial offense of telling Zano that their fun-loving spirit on their latest album reminded my of a similar vibe from Gym Class Heroes, the guys were quick to forgive and share all their in-depth answers to my questions.
The group comes from an honest background. Raised in Chapel Hill and Durham, the three met each other through a mutual friend on a common music project. It has simply been their rooted love for music that brought Endless Mic to the Carolina forefront in an eclectic vibe of hip-hop.
The band shared with me many of their inspirations and techniques applied to their music. They do not hesitate to declare sampling as an art form. Whereas many just twist the lyrics in the chorus of a copy and paste '70s classic, producer deez takes a pop art approach to his tracks, making the old sounds of Dorothy London not only new and melodic but certainly more urban chic than she was in the '50s. Add the unique fusion of deez's production with the stern, serious, and sometimes silly rhythm and lyrics of Zano and Stu!, and out comes the organic, soulful, and truthful music that the rap industry is desperate need of.
Although these guys are some of the coolest, down-to-earth, and most laid-back people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, there is one thing that seems to ruffle their feathers: bad attitudes. In particular the bad of attitudes of other musicians. They admire other artist, in particular Lil' Wayne and Solider Boy, but they feel some artists take it to the wrong level when they begin trash-talking music. The guys have made a conscious and wise decision to remain humble and thankful to their musical roots.
Endless Mic's way of dodging this almost unavoidable clash between artist and art is to make music a part of their life rather than allowing it to engulf them.
"We are, [on this album] who we are in real life," Stu! says.
"I have many other interests outside of music," deez tells me. He explains that it's easy to lose your respect for something when that's all you do. This is why Endless Mic isn't just about beats; they're all for education.
In fact, music is such a passion for these three educated young men that I couldn't help but to ask, "Why are you in college if music is what you love to do?"
From their chuckled and immediate response it was apparent that they have been asking themselves the same thing for a while. Their motivations for staying in college go beyond "plan B" and rest in the simple joy of stimulating curriculum, conversation, and interaction with students and faculty. They express their thoughts on how education can only enhance their music by providing them a wider range of issues and styles to utilize. Endless Mic does not view education as their temporary set back, but as their long-term accomplishment. deez also makes the vary valid point that three years of education is a lot to discard, being that the album was dropped and completed in Zano and Stu!'s last year.
"Education is like mashed potatoes," deez says "It goes with everything!"
I now see why their first track is entitled, "Academia". It genius baby! "So what do you say to those that do give up everything for their art?" I asked.
"Definitely! Yeah," Stu! commented.
deez followed, "Balls to the walls, for sure!"
Further into our discussion we tapped into the genius beyond the album's song construction. There is a guaranteed new find every time you listen to the album. Between layers of diverse subject matter and various artist compilations-including Calee Salem Crash, Absalute and others-the thirst for sincere sounds is always quenched. "Zip Zap Rap" is one of the most well thought out tracks on the album. Endless Mic uses satire to emphasize their thoughts on the demeanors of the rap industry. Zano and Stu! imitate the very attitudes they strive not to have on this track of industrial critique.
Their first single, "Watching Your World," is less deliberate and more an act of serendipity. The bits and pieces were glued together without any real motives in the beginning. However, in my opinion, it stands alone as one of the best songs on the album. It carries a more serious vibe than the other tracks yet a more in depth subject matter. The track's seriousness was part of the reason the band was hesitant to make it the first single. Timid that it misrepresented the rest of the album.
Baby Geniuses belongs in every accomplished and admirable CD collection. Since the album was released nation wide Sept. 17, there's no sound excuse why it shouldn't be in yours. Despite their sincere desire to give the CD away for free, you can cop it for a modest ticket price of $10 at any of your local record stores (the guys prefer that you show support to some of the less popular local spots in the Triad).
What a Tuesday!
For more information check out the band's MySpace at www.myspace.com/endlessmic1, or their official website at endless.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Christina
posted 9/26/07 @ 1:46 PM EST
WOO HOO!! Go SHARI!!! lol...nice article fam. I will definitely be checking out endless mic in the future.
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