Interview: Rappers POS, Mac Lethal and Onry Ozzborn on the Current State of Hip-Hop & its Future

Rapper Nas titled his last cd Hip-Hop is Dead and for many fans and foes of the genre truer words have never been spoken. The genre has hit a critical impasse and is in need of a true wake up call. While critics blast the genre for its glorification of violence and materialism (please people, no more gold grills and bling) a smaller yet vibrant wave of hip-hop artists are starting to give the art form the injection of originality it truly needs. The Rhymesayers record label is based in Minnesota and is the brainchild of Sean Daley better known as Slug the mc of the rap group Atmosphere. Atmosphere, at this point in time are the kings of underground indie hip-hop. The group is able to sell 100,000 units annually. This may seem like a drop in the bucket to the fifty-inch rim set but for an artist to sell that many discs with virtually no airplay or video play is an astonishing feet in the world of rap music. Where is hop-hop headed? Can the unique sounds coming out of Minnesota save the genre from itself? These are the questions I posed to three mcs of the Rhymesayers collective. P.O.S, Onry Ozzborn of the rap group Grayskull and Mac Lethal sat down with me to explain their take on the other side of hip-hop. None of these mcs claim to be trying to save hip-hop but all three agree a change needs to happen soon, in order for the genre to thrive and survive. We begin out journey to the "other side of hip-hop" with rapper P.O.S.

Product of Society, Promise of Skill and Pissed off Stef are just a few of the definitions for the moniker P.O.S. P.OS. is actually Stefon Alexander, a rapper hailing from Minnesota with a lot on his mind. His last disc Audition was a hip-hop disc full of anger, intricate word play and a healthy dose of punk rock abandonment. I recently caught up with P.O.S as he just wrapped up a slew of summer dates on the Warped Tour. Here is what the earnest mc had to say about the state of affairs in hip-hop

Associated Content: Your disc Audition was released in 2006. What have you been doing for the past year and a half?

P.O.S: Touring!! I have been doing a ton of touring ever since the disc dropped...my schedule has literally been two months home, three months on the road two months home...as tough as it has been, I love it!! I love playing live!

AC: You did about half of the Warped Tour this summer. How did that treat you?

P.O.S: My crew and I hit the Warped Tour right in the middle of the tour. The first day for us was terrible. We just weren't on it...its tough doing an all day festival tour. You have to work the merch table all day, and then hit the stage...it got better for us as the tour progressed.

AC: The crew you refer to is the collective "Doom Tree". Tell me just exactly who or what is the Doom Tree"?

P.O.S: Doom Tree is my crew! It consists of four mcs, a couple producers and djs. We have been together for about eight years. Doom Tree is all about getting the work done that needs to be done especially on the road.

AC: When people think of a hip-hop scene I don't think they equate that with Minneapolis Minnesota. Is that changing? Is there truly a rap scene in Minnesota?

P.O.S: There is so much hip-hop here in Minnesota!! Minneapolis itself has a number of great musicians alone but now there is a huge hip-hop scene here. It is big enough so that folks are taking notice but small enough so that you can still make a name for yourself and stand out. I know several mcs who have moved to Minnesota for the hip-hop scene.

AC: Do you see any type of change in the near future when it comes to mainstream hip hop? Can the genre save itself?

P.O.S: (sigh) there needs to be a change. I totally agree that something different needs to happen. Is it going to happen? NO!! The mainstream hip-hop scene will not change anytime soon.

AC: Why do you think there cannot be some type of change in mainstream rap?

P.O.S: People are comfortable with the way it is. When the masses are complacent with the way things are there is no need to change. If folks are ok with it then why change? You will never hear one of my songs on the mainstream stations because I don't cater to that style or audience. I am not trying to brag but I don't listen to simple music and I don't make simple music...I listen to and try to make music that is complex in some way, shape or form. As a fan I don't let radio pick my music for me, I pick what I want to hear. College Radio still exists in Minnesota and we also have a public radio station in Minnesota that plays my music and music done by folks who are just doing something different.

AC: What does the future hold for P.O.S? What will you be up to in the coming months?

P.O.S: Well in October I will be on tour with my hardcore/punk band Building Better Bombs. We actually have a new disc out now. The hope is I will have a new P.O.S/ rap record out by early next year.

Grayskul: hip hop role models

Seattle has long since been known as the home of alternative rock thanks to bands like Nirvana, Pearl jam and Soundgarden but believe it or not a hip-hop scene is emerging in the land that gave us grunge. Onry Ozzborn and JFK are the dynamic rap duo known as Grayskul. Although the group frowns on being known as a goth hip-hop group there is no denying the duos rhymes are backed by funky beats with an intense sinister sound. The group is currently on tour with Atmosphere, Lucky I Am and Mac Lethal on the "Everyone Loves a Clown" tour. I caught up with Onry Ozzborn to find out if everyone truly loves the beats and rhymes of Grayskul.

Associated Content: How long has Grayskul been together?

Onry Ozzborn: We have been together since late 2004. We were actually part of a crew from the Pacific Northwest called Old Dominion.

AC: Is there a big hip hop scene is Seattle right now?

Onry: Actually the hip-hop scene there is doing really well. I guess we have been the biggest break out act from the scene. The scene there is way more political...lyrically folks seem to be more focused on politics.

AC: How did you hook up with the Rhymmesayers label?

Onry: To be honest it really wasn't that tough. We knew Slug (of Atmosphere) and we respected what he was doing. We had a lot of respect flowing both ways for each other's music. We gave him a demo we made with four or five songs on it and the folks at Rhymesayers dug it.

AC: What's been the best part about being on the Rhymesaysers label?

Onry: They are really just good people to work with. They have a strong vision and focus and they are all about letting the artists be themselves. They really want their artists to be creative and they are totally honest and up front when it comes to their artists.

AC: Your latest disc "Bloody Radio" musically sounds like something our of a horror flick. What's the inspiration for the Goth like sound you guys have?

Onry: To be honest with you I am not sure where it comes from. We really are not trying to be spooky or scary. Everyone says we have this scary vibe or sound...the music maybe a bit intense but our lyrics are very positive. We are very positive people and that aspect of our music shows up in the lyrics.

AC: What is your take on the state of affairs with hip hop today? Do you see an issue in terms of where the genre is at the present time?

Onry: One of the things we did with Bloody Radio is with every song we did on that record we tried to interpret every style of mainstream hip hop going on right now!! The music on the disc is literally everything that is going on production wise in rap. The main difference however is the lyrics!! We figure if mainstream hip-hop can brainwash folks to go in a certain direction we can brainwash folks to go in a completely opposite direction by changing the lyrics but keeping the same type of beats.

AC: Do you feel hip hop is in need of a drastic change?

Onry: All I can say is, I am a father. I feel that I am a role model and I don't want my son to be embarrassed by the music that I make. I want him to be able to listen to the music I make and appreciate it. I can't speak for everyone but for right now, that's where I am at.

AC: What does the immediate future hold for Grayskul?

Onry: Right now we are just focused on doing this tour with Atmosphere and just building our following!

The Therapy of Mac Lethal

Mac Lethal may be the most unlikely hip hop artist you will ever have the pleasure of seeing live. Let's get the basics out of the way. Mac Lethal is white mc from Kansas with a small paunch of a belly. He is bald, tattooed and enjoys wearing flannel shirts and ranting (hell maybe even boasting) about how many DUI tickets he has gotten. On stage however Mac Lethal is also a fire brand of hip hop/rap intensity. His rhyme style is a throw back to the days of Ice-T and early Ice Cube and KRS-ONE. Watching him on stage is like watching a catharsis gone mad. He rails against bling, cooperate radio and Fergie while maintaining he is still down with Gwen Stefani, The Deftones and Wilco! He states emphatically that he feels Ice-T is still clever and at the end of the day for Mac it's always Wu-Tang Forever! All of this is backed by the funky beats of his dj and for Mac it is a must that the crowd hear every lyric he has to spit regardless of whether you have his latest disc (11:11) or not. Lethal took time out of his tour schedule recently to talk to me about the hip hop scene in Kansas, his current tour with Atmosphere his take on what's going on in hip hop.

Associated Content: How did you first get noticed as an mc?

Mac Lethal: I entered a bunch of battle rap contests and to tell you the truth I wish I hadn't. A lot of writers' pigeon hold me as a battle rap mc and I am not just that!

AC: in my opinion hip hop is in crisis right now. The genre seems to be spinning out of control. Do you think some type of change is about to over take the genre?

M.L.: What needs to happen is people need to STOP listening to what is on the radio! What is getting played on the radio is REALLY happening is hip-hop. People need to stop listening to cooperate radio. It is easy to blame the radio but ultimately it's the people that are making the decisions on what they are listening to. I am not sure what is gonna happen when it comes to mainstream hip-hop but what I do know is that people who really want to find REAL music are doing it...they are hitting the internet, they are going to shows and they are doing the work you need to do to find REAL music.

AC: Overall what do you think is going on in the world of rap music? How did we get here?

M.L.: Look all I know is music right now is used as a vehicle to escape. People don't want to work when they are listening to music...people don't want to think. I mean this goes deeper than music...folks just do not want to think about ANYTHING serious. I mean there used to be a time when the highest compliment you could give a rapper was that listening to his lyrics was alike reading a book. Now that's the worst thing you could say about a hip-hop artist.

AC: So are you a fan of using the internet as a way to get your music out there? Are you more interested in hits on you're my space or record sales?

M.L.: Well ultimately I benefit from sales! All artists do. Ultimately the sales need to happen but the internet is amazing in terms of exposure. Hopefully, People hear my stuff on the internet and if they like it, then the hope is they come to a show and buy a cd. You cannot deny the power of the internet in terms of exposure. It is a good thing but ultimately the sales need to happen.

AC: Talk to me about the rap scene in Kansas.

M.L.: There is a great scene for rap music in Kansas. We have a lot of bay area influenced rappers in Kansas. It is not in anyway a community of sorts in terms of folks helping each other out. There is a lot of competition. Tech -9 is the biggest rapper so far to come out of Kansas. The scene itself is still in the process of being built.

AC: So some of your tunes do in fact relate to partying and drinking beer and getting wasted. How does that differ from some of the mainstream hip-hop material?

M.L.: Well, it's not different in terms of subject matter!! Look I can rap about dumb stuff but the way its packaged is different...at the end of the day I rap about everyday man type stuff but I don't glorify the party aspect...its there because its part of what I do.

AC: What's up next for you after this tour? What can we expect next from Mac Lethal?

M.L.: To be honest my record just came out and I am just focused on finishing this tour. I will hit the road again as an opener to promote my disc. Other than that I plan to hangout and do some partying!!