Rapper B. Dirty of the Band Heavy Mojo Talks About His Band, the Music Scene in Atlanta and the Sate of Affairs with Black Radio

Heavy Mojo is a serious local band coming straight out of Atlanta. The band has been together (with it's current lineup) since 2004. The group boasts a heady mix of rock/hip-hop/indie and pop and this seamless mix of genres can be heard on the groups latest ep (Choice Cuts) which is available on itunes. If you enjoy your Outkast with dash of Maroon 5 and 311 then you may want to check out this band from hot-lanta. With three mcs/frontmen and a four piece band Heavy Mojo tend to stand out in the land of indie bands vying for mainstream success. I had the pleasure of chatting with lead rapper/vocalist B. Dirty (You gotta love rap names!!) recently and he gave his insights on the bands mix of sounds, their forth coming cd and the state of affairs with Black radio.

Associated Content: You say that this current lineup of the band has been together since 2004 but when did the idea of Heavy Mojo come about?
B. Dirty: The three frontmen of the group met in high school. In 2000 we started making beats for each other and we started working on a demo in 2001. While we were rehearsing, a music showcase was coming up. The guy putting it on heard our stuff and really liked it. He asked if we would be in the showcase and we actually told him we would do it and we would rock our stuff with a live band!! We didn't have a live band at the time but he believed us. We had a week to find a band and rehearse. We cut it close but we did it and we took first place at the showcase!

AC: When you were starting out was being a live band as opposed to being a traditional hip-hop group with a dj the main goal?
B.D.: Honestly, we never really thought about it. We have a lot of friends in bands in Atlanta and we would always jam with them. By the time we hit the studio it was just a natural progression to be a live band. Also, we did not want to be limited on stage. We wanted the ability to improvise on stage so it made sense to turn Heavy Mojo into a live band.

AC: Who are some of the bands influences?
B.D.: You name it! This band listens to a little bit of everything. Public Enemy, Fishbone, Rage, The Stones, Goodie Mobb, The Stooges.... It's all there in our music. We are also constantly turning each other on to new music and sounds. Right now we are going through a Joni Mitchell phase!! (HA). If you swing by our studio you'll hear us bumping Joni Mitchell!

AC: You know I think in the history of music and phrases I don't think anyone has ever said they were bumping Joni Mitchell!
B.D.: HA, I hear ya! Well the bottom line is you can bump anything and right now we are digging Joni!

AC: Talk to me about the radio station 99x. How have they supported the group?
B.D.: 99x has been great to us. They have supported us every step of the way. When we first hit the scene the first show we played was a 99x locals show called Sunday School Live. Jay Harren was the host of the show. He came across our stuff and really liked it and began playing us regularly. We also entered a "battle of the bands" contest 99x sponsored in 2004 where the winner would play the locals only stage at the Music Midtown festival. We won the competition and we ended up on the locals stage between The Strokes and The Foo Fighters in front of twenty-five thousand people!

AC: Sounds like the band has truly been embraced by the alternative rock scene. Have any hip-hop stations in Atlanta started spinning the group?
B.D.: Not at all. Truth be told, Black radio is really conservative. They are the last to catch on when it comes to something like this. They are the last to play, support or promote something that they claim does not fit their demographic or audience.

AC: Do you feel Black radio tends to miss-read it's audience?
B.D.: Without a doubt. If you expose people to it they will listen and like it...you need to let people decide for themselves. We have a very mixed audience, Black, White, Latino, Asian...we have kids into rock, hip-hop, b-boys, metal heads...you name it! We had an indie disc out for a while and the sound on that disc was really wild. It was out there and the majority of folks who bought that disc from us were actually Black!! When our new disc drops we will throw it to everyone in radio and let folks decide if they will play us or not.

AC: What's the local music scene in Atlanta like? Is there a spirit of camaraderie as well as competition?
B.D.: The scene is great. The bands really support each other and help each other out. There is competition between bands but in the different regions of Atlanta bands are constantly getting together and putting together bills to play on. You get four or five bands in the same general area and if each one knows they can draw a good number of people, they will try and set something up at a club. The mix of bands is always interesting. No two groups are gonna sound alike but they all have the same motto in mind when they hit the stage; go big or go home! The bands are always pushing each other to do their best on stage.

AC: What does the future hold for Heavy Mojo in the coming months?
B.D.: We are gearing up to hit radio in June with a new single and then the disc comes out at the end of summer. After that we want to tour with a band that we know can pull anywhere from 500-1500 people. We are a live band and being on stage is what we live for so we are looking forward to going on the road.

Try and catch the mix of Heavy Mojo when they come to your area.