Q&A With Veteran Colorado Underground Hip Hop Group Bullhead*ded
Hey Bullhead*ded! We appreciate and love your true authenticity to the underground Hip Hop culture, especially holding it down Colorado! Please tell us how many years have you guys been making music? What part of Colorado are you guys from? Most importantly, where does the group name Bullhead*ded come from?
We have been rocking shows and making music together for over a decade together. Bullhead*ded officially formed in 2010. Our Origin Story: Cut back in time. 11 years ago (2017).. The location: The Black Sheep. The event: El-P (Now known for Run The Jewels fame) is headlining a concert. Amongst the openers that night were two local hip-hop groups: Made Up Minds and TooTone Taurus. Made Up Minds consists of Nato Lucero and Found*ded Records founder ZETfree. TooTone Taurus was made up of Che Bong and Jay P. S. The two groups hit it off. As Che Bong’s lyrics highlight in “Ded*dicatoAmore”, “Collabs between the two groups got it started right.
We Got itchy feet and hit the road like every other night.” Over the course of the next year the two groups played some 200 shows together. In 2010 the collective put together a grass-roots west-coast tour. Together they decided that it made more sense to tour as one group that no one knows as opposed to two groups no one knows. So, they combined the two groups into one. TooTone Taurus and Made Up Minds Became Bullhead*ded. BULL (Taurus of TooTone Taurus) HEAD (Mind of Made Up Minds) *DED (Found*ded records). A bond of brotherhood was forged during that tour that has already endured the group far beyond the normal life span of a vast majority of hip-hop groups.
The main meaning behind our name is an indicator of our unwillingness to quit. Their drive to continue in our passion no matter what. We are too stubborn and bullheaded to ever stop making music.
A lot of independent Hip Hop is currently coming out of Colorado, what separates you guys from all the other up and coming MC’s and groups?
Che Bong: I think what separates our music from others is that we have been apart of the Colorado music scene over 13 years and have consistently curated our own sound that we feel represents Colorado in particular….
Nato: What separates us as we don’t involve ourselves too much and what others are doing, or try following what is the trending right now as far as the style. I personally don’t listen to too much hip-hop to ensure that my influences are gathered from somewhere else and
present Itself as original as possible.
ZETfree: We are Colorado Hip-Hop!
You guys are extremely original!! How do you guys describe your sound?
Che Bong: Our sound is progressive classic hip hop
ZETfree: Our sound comes from a core of classic boom bap influence from the golden era of hip hop that we carry like a torch into the modern-day. High energy. Dark yet bright. Raw yet polished.
Tell us about your Hip Hop and/or music influences?
Che Bong: To me our music is very personal and heartfelt with wordplay and patterns being a big part of our delivery I know we all are inspired by classic rock, punk, jazz, soul, r&b, folk, and of course hip hop as a whole..
Nato: Sage Francis, Eyedea, Pharcyde, cannibal ox, El-p, MOs Def Mostly conscious rap, But with the good times of beastie boys
ZET: We are of course students of the greats that have come before us, and pay tribute to them. We have even been blessed to share the stage with some of our influences such as Mos Def, and KRS One. We are all three also influenced by a wide variety of music. We all draw from different places, and sounds. I love folk music, Che is electro-soul and Nato comes from a indie-rock background. When we met he was playing bass for a popular local punk band. So, we are all over the place. Haha.
Please breakdown the creative process of your new EP ““Boiled Bones”. We noticed BOOM, one of our experienced contributors gave this album a 8/10 RATING!
ZETfree: The Brazen Series is a reflection of us. Of our trials and tribulations. Of failures and triumph. We feel that this is not only our story. The project is the result of years of trial by fire. We want to invite our listeners to be active participants in our music, and our journey which in someways we know is also theirs. We are doing this through a 3 part story. The first installment “Boiled Bones” is much more in your face and aggressive. It is the fire the world is met with. The second part “Heart Stones” is much more introspective and reflective. The final installment “Brazen” will be an amalgamation of everything we are, and where our story has brought us at that point. With the comics we are creating a world for this journey to take place. The music is a soundtrack to this journey, and also provides a backdrop for our story. The comics follow “Our Young Hero” and their story.
Che Bong: The creative process was to create a world we could take the listener to….with the beats and lyrics we definitely set out to have our music be the perfect backdrop to our comic book that goes with the first installment of a three-part series of “Brazen”…
Nato: First of all collecting the beats, and second of all living the experience to write the lyrics.
Your honest opinion, out of all the songs on the project, which is the one song you guys feel stands out the most!?
Che Bong: My favorite song is “keep my distance “..but “Sorry For The Bad Dancing ” is probably the standout..
Nato: SFTBD Has the most commercial potential but as far as originality and really being in touch with our true feelings I would say keep my distance.
Rappers nowadays think by throwing up a few videos up on social media and pushing quick projects, they can blow up overnight! Give us your view on how over saturated the market is right now with so many MC’s/Producers but not to many quality music.
Che Bong: I definitely agree that music in general has been a bit over saturated due to social media outlets but it has also given people an opportunity to find exactly what suits their tastes although you may have to find the good stuff it’s definitely out there..and in my opinion more than ever..just got to dig…
Nato: We’ve been doing this for more than half of our lives, have put videos up on social media and music but still feel quite content with the progress we’ve made. Everyone today wants to be a rapper but not everyone is it good enough musician to do so bottom line. I personally don’t pay too much attention to the artists around me it tends to make me lose focus of my own project.
If it came down to 1 ALBUM only, what underground Hip Hop album would you guys consider THE BEST OF ALL TIME!!!???……One 1 album you can choose.
Che Bong: Funcrusher plus by company flow it really started the indy hip hop movement to what it is now…
Nato: Personally I would have to say sage Francis personal journals influenced me the most.
ZETfree: I would say Overcast! by Atmosphere spawned (pun intended) a world of influence in underground Hip-Hop.
Here it is! Our most popular question! What is your definition of “underground hip hop”?
Che Bong: Underground hip hop to me is simply the hip hop that is just beneath the surface plenty of then “underground artists” are now on a main stage with movies, radio,tv,etc..underground hip hop definitely has more substance and creativity and heart than most surface hip hop/rap music…
Nato: Any hip-hop that does consist of it own sound and originality. Something that truly comes from the heart for the culture not something that is made to try to impress people with how you’re living.
ZETfree: Underground Hip-Hop is independent hip-hop. It is the voice of the people. A much more honest voice than the one being sponsored by the powers that be, and in turn the masses.
Where can people find you on the web? Drop all the vital links.
website:
https://www.foundded.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BullHeadDed/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bullheadded/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/bullheadded
Lastly, and shout out?
Our brother and honorary 4th member of BHD: Ibe Hustles. He is pure beast, and one of the greatest out there doing it on any level. We also must shout out some of our tour mates, peers and cohorts in this music ish: Wake Self, Def-I, Maulskull & Evolve.
