S.O. Grimmey – Q&A Interview

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

I’m a Rebel minded individual, go against the grain, not in any disorderly and vulgar type of fashion, but in the thought-provoking sense. I like to see for myself before I believe the hype.

I’m the first-born in the states for my family, we are from Colombia. I was born in Queens NY.

I lived in Cali Colombia for most of my childhood, returned to NY in the year 2000, lived in Elmont, Long Island NY. I moved to Houston in 2006 and been here ever since.

I’ve been recording myself and other artists since 2005, started making my own songs off of other rappers instrumentals, making mixtape style songs.

What influences you in making Hip Hop?

I always loved the story telling element in hiphop songs, I remember Snoop Doggs first album and “murder was the case” entertaining me as a 8-year-old. After living in Colombia from 1995 to 2000, I was cut off from hiphop, I didn’t learn about Biggie’s death until Diddy’s song “Missing You” made it to Colombian popular music station. When I returned in 2000, I became an album collector, and was inspired by NaS when I listened to Stillmatic. From that point on, I always valued the conscious side of hiphop. I would like the popular songs, but in making my own music now, I enjoy making the kind of music that mirrors the old socially aware and politically conscious hiphop, Grand Master Flash “The Message” and all the way through to today’s conscious hiphop, that style of hiphop always inspired me.

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

My music is a completely reflection to who I am on a daily basis, I like it to be consistent with what I actually talk about, do, and represent. I dove into a lot of old school music, reggae, motown, jazz, soul, salsa, and found the connecting rhythms and conscious themes through all of them. At the same time, I am a historian and facts fiend, so in learning about historically important social leaders, I listened to their speeches, and decided to make songs with their voices and words, I would write to the song and unite the three influences I’ve held on to this last few years. Music, History, Writing. It makes me a bit different from other MCs, because I have no swag to offer, even in a cool intellectual way, I am very straight forward, on some Johnny Cash type stuff “Steady like a train, sharp like a razor”.

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

I’ve worked with a lot of talented people, up and coming artists who are doing big things, not even on a recording together basis, early on I just recorded other people. But I’ve spent a lot of time recording and working with some talented individuals. In New York a young King by the name of Warren Wint, he was recently in Austin for SXSW festival, but the most talented of which, I called him the Jimi Hendrix of HipHop back when I first met him, his name is Supremo Massiv, and he has now gone to a live band level, making incredible music, he still is the Jimi Hendrix of our generation, his production skills have always been amazing and it translates fully when he has a live band to work with. In Houston I worked

with an artist by the name of Theazy, he has his own movement out here with his flow, one take in the booth guy right there.

I’m not picky at all, I would love to work with any new cats out here making substance type music, I enjoy this rebirth of 1960’s type of hippie music. I want to be a part of that.

Your definition of “Underground Hip Hop”?

Underground HipHop is just raw and uncut music, scrapped off old songs and samples, to create new music with old souls behind it. Especially when the lyrical content is off the same vein as the sample used. Untouched by mainstream, just take it or leave it music, with or without a profit, pure realness.

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

My favorite production is the old school era type, golden age of hiphop, early 90’s flow. RZA, Reakwon, Ghostface producion, NaS and Mobb Deep production.

I arranged my own instrumental, like the first hiphop songs were old jazz and soul records sampled, I began to hear beats in old reggae music where I could play with and write to. So I mixed some samples out, salsa and reggae, slowed them down, played with them, until I found a consistent beat I could rock to.

I would love to meet new young producers trying to make their own sound, see if I can find a connection for something new, fresh, and even throwback type.

Any current or future projects you are promoting?

Right now I’m just spreading  The Exodus Exit, as far as projects go, I am spreading a hashtag movement myself and my fellow students at our college have started. We are members of a new group that we created this past semester, our group is called Student Initiative for Reasoning (S.I.R.). The movement is #RememberFreedomSummer and it’s purpose is to make students aware of their social history in this country, 2014 is the 50th anniversary for the Freedom Summer Student Movement of 1964. So we are spreading that to everybody through memes, and social activities, community service, all summer long. We’re starting with a Texas Children Hospital visit dressed as super heros for the children, that will be later on this month. So #RememberFreedomSummer is the movement, research, learn, and spread the movement.

Can you give us a brief description of the creative process of EP: The Exodus Exit? Also/ what was the idea or concept description about your Album Art Cover.

For The Exodus Exit, I had a 6 year span of no recording going on, I was running on an old dell pc, which broke down on me, and I simply didn’t have the funds to rebuild a new computer. During that time I did a lot of self educating, my wife was going to school while I worked 9 to 5 jobs. Last year I started writing again, my wife graduated, and I enrolled back in to school. I was able to put together a solid recording set up, and my entire style was extremely conscious and political. My self educating led to self-awareness. I knew what I wanted to talk about, how it would sound, whose voices I wanted there, and only didn’t know how long the EP would be, or which songs would be on it. I made several songs and placed them in order, some done, some half done, listened to them over and over again. Started last year in July 2013, did that process of listening and until I was satisfied, in late April, last month. I loved its transitional feel, and the title was already determined, The Exodus Exit, my exodus being the 6 years without the ability to record, with all this free time to self educate, being able to record again, quitting my job, enrolling back to school, getting my recording set up back again, it was my exit from the exodus. I have something to say now.

The cover, that’s a picture I took of some old vhs footage of family videos, I paused the dvd, which was converted from the tape, and snapped a pic of my Father. He’s my first inspiration, the voices of my other heros are there in a way for me to honor them in my songs, but the cover belongs to my 1st hero, my pops.

Where can we find your music and info?

Hit me up on my twitter @SteveRozco

Find my music on my soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/sdotodotgrimmey/sets/the-exodus-exit

Everything I do, say, express, share will be there.

Any Shout outs?

The Most High

My parents, my wife Sookie, my brothers Jay and AC (Just graduated college in Cali, Colombia, you go boy!)

My family, Thierry, Supremo, Omega Sirius Moon, Just Write and the NOMADS, Theazy, and my Cassmates, fellow students, young R.E.B.E.L.s, S.I.R. and to the people who aren’t here because they laid their lives down for us.

#RememberFreedomSummer

Peace World