Politicize – Q&A Interview
Tell us a little about yourself. Where you are from? How long have you been making Hip Hop?
I’m a Hiphop artist from Philadelphia going by the name Politicize. I’m one of the few artists American born Muslims coming from a South Asian background to do what I do. Beyond that, one one of the only artists with a South Asian background to spit politically and stand against the oppression affecting those who practice Islam. I’ve been honing my craft for 13 years, making beats, writing, editing, recording. For 3 of them I went under the name Political Assassin and worked with guys like Gillie Da Kid, Eminem close friend and artist Hush, Spice-1, Freeway, E. Ness and others. Politicize comes from struggle, and I’ve learned from the mistakes I made in the past and now, all bets are off!
What influences you in making Hip Hop?
I think it’s my motivation and desire inside to succeed. Music for me is a way to entertain just like anyone else. Difference is that I also use it as a tool to educate, open people eyes, and make them see things for what they are, not what people want them to be. It was during the second uprising of the Palestinian people when I was around 16 that I started becoming very political. The more I read the more I hurt. In the oppression the Palestinian people faced, I saw a piece myself at the age 7 being picked on and tortured in school. The same underdog in me was the one I saw in the struggle of all people being oppressed. To call a Palestinian a terrorist dying for his people and nations sovereignty is a clear example of the true definition of what a terrorist is. A terrorist to me is the name the strong give to the weak when they fight back.
Describe your music, and what separates you from other MCs?
It’s a blatant smack in the face like them Adam West Batman fight scenes. I’ve infused horror and politics together as I feel they go hand in hand. There’s no lack of political rappers, and Muslim artist who want to be political. Difference between me and these people is that I stand by what I say. What I stand for is dear to me, so dear that while these cats talk, I talk and act. I’ll stand up for my faith, for the weak, and for whats right not just in my rhymes but in real life.
Who have you collaborated with? Who would you like to collab with in the near future?
I’ve collaborated with Gillie Da Kid, Spice-1, Hush, Hysteria. With the new mixtape Codename Assassin though I have Red Mcfly, Jason Porter, Mars, Tantrum, and Shogunna on the mixtape. The idea to contact King of the Dot battle rapper Tantrum and Shogunna came from a track on my mixtape called “My Pride”. The song was about Asian pride and giving homage to the many talented Asian American artists out there grinding, working so that we can also be perceived as the face of hiphop like other ethnic backgrounds are. I mean we have people from Canada and UK getting famous here in America rapping and being accepted by the industry, but we can’t have a Pakistani, Korean, or Arab American become successful because of his or her ethnic background? So it’s better to have a foreigner with an accent rap and be accepted than actual Americans?
Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?
Underground hiphop is the only saving grace of the genre for the most part. It goes beyond the repetitive beats that are what’s cool at the moment. It goes beyond your appearance, color, and faith. It’s the purity of an art form lost to coprporate whores and the whore ass artists there fucking.
Production wise, who are your influences? Who does your production?
I know these days every beat sounds like Rick Ross but if your from the east coast then you know this is where hiphop started. My style is influenced more by artists than beats but I love production by Alchemist and beats by Jedi Mind Tricks.
And who would you like to work with?
I’d love to work with Esham, Immortal Technique, and Insane Clown Posse
Any current or future projects you are promoting?
For now its all about Codename Assassin and working hard to get it out there. But its been good so far and the love and feedback is real. I’d likd to build on that.
Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of Codename Assasin? Also/ what was the idea or concept description about your Album Art Cover.
This mixtape is a new begining for me as Politicize rather than my previous time as Political Assasin. I wanted to put to use everything I learned from good and bad moments, positives and mistakes. I started from scratch picking beats. Apart from two songs, the mixtape was beats I really liked.
My engineer Sam Cho at Paperbag music, he pushed out in me things I wasn’t able to do musically before. Every track has a concept that fits within every beat. So Hiphop is not which describes what ignorant people no color barrier think hiphop is. So for that I took ill bill’s track “The revolution will be classified”. On Twinz by Big Pun and Fat Joe, I mimicked Puns flow when I starts out with back in the middle of little Itay, you know what I’m talking about! Natural born killaz I flipped and used to talk about killing celeberties and athletes, racist useless scum haha.
Where can we find your music and info?
My website
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Politicize/144843631791
Any shout outs?
I’d like to shout out all the people who supported me from the gate, my nigga Cali Green for staying with me and all the other folks I’ve become close to with this music. Thank you to each person who liked a comment, listened to my music, downloaded the new mixtape, and have given me feedback on the project. And I”d like to thank everyone worldwide fighting against the oppression facing the Palestinian people in the Gaza strip. Inshalla, God willing they will get the homeland they deserve.
