Eddie James – Q&A Interview

Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? How long have you been making Hip Hop?

I was born in Queens and have lived in New York all my life. Much of my formative life was spent at the Woodside projects in Queens and this was where I developed my love of music and Hip Hop in particular.

What influences you in making Hip Hop?

I loved music from when I was a kid – we used to have rap battles on the benches in the hood. In those days most of my male influences came through the rap tracks I was listening to and I have developed a lyrical, story telling style of writing.

Describe your music, and what separates you from other MCs?

My sound is very classic hip hop which seems to be something folks are starting to increasingly look for. My lyrics are very genuine and come from real experiences on the street. I definitely don’t romanticize violence, sexist behaviors or substance abuse.

Who have you collaborated with? Who would you like to collab with in the near future?

I have a duet on my EP “Dedicated to Woodside” with an R&B singer Terrence James – no relative. TJ writes great hooks and has a tremendous singing voice. We will do more stuff together. I would love to do a track or two with my label mate Jindai. Big name collaborations are a bit of a dream for me at this stage but feel confident I could hold my end if I got the chance.

Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?

The text book definition is “Hip Hop by and independent artist or one signed to an indie label. I do fit that bill. Stylistically, I think it really covers hip hop which is not trying to follow current mainstream sounds. I think I fit that bill as well but we think there is a groundswell out there rejecting current superficial sounds and looking for a return to the genuine sounds out of the 90’s

Production wise, who are your influences? Who does your production? And who would you like to work with?

When we were looking for a sound that was bit different from current radio fare, we decided to look for an early 90’s vibe. Forrest Hundred was my producer for all the EP tracks and he was heavily influenced by Nas. When we were writing these tracks, it was the 25th anniversary of Illmatic and it was very fresh in our minds

Any current or future projects you are promoting?

My main project right now is the release of my first EP “Dedicated to Woodside”. I am hoping we are getting to a position where we can start to get some radio play happening.

We have also made a 12 minute musicmentary which we are just now planning to promote through music and short film channels.

Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of Dedicated to Woodside? Also/ tell us a little bit about the concept and idea behind your Album/Mixtape Cover Art.

The songs on Dedicated to Woodside were written over a number of years with the latest one being “City Lights”. They all have a common heritage in experiences I had during my days in the Woodside projects. The EP cover was from a photo shoot when we were setting up my social media sites. Mansion Records wanted this particular shot as it shows me sitting on the Manhattan side of the East River (where I now live) but carrying all the heart and soul of Woodside with me.

Where can we find your music and info?

My music is on iTunes, Soundcloud, Bandcamp and Spotify. My website is www.eddiejamesnyc.com where you can find links to most of my work.