San Diegos own Underground Hip Hop artist NoNeedz answers some questions I dished out. Noneedz has a new album coming out soon and has just released five new unmastered tracks on his myspace http://www.myspace.com/noneedz. He also currently has 3 other full length albums out which can be purchased from www.cdbaby.com just search NoNeedz
So Id'e like to start off by asking how you got into music? I got thrown into a recording arts class in high school because there wasn’t any other classes available. Had to record a track for the final in the school studio and decided I liked doin the thing enough to keep going. Made some wack beats with hip hop ejay by copying and pasting loops haha and just kept going.
Who are the artists and the other things that inspire your music? I get inspired by every artist that sounds good to me, I listen to Stevie Wonder all the way to Snoop and Sly boogie, Billy Preston to Ray and Etta James to Lauryn Hill, but mostly God either fills me with inspiration or not depending on what I’ve been about in my life at the moment. I’ve been inspired lately to mix ministry with music (though I’m probably not the best example haha cuz I curse and say messed up things, but I’m cutting down on that aspect and won’t have it in future recordings). I just feel the need to promote some of the unknown parts of the New Testament, and combat the theory Christians put out there that a person must believe in Jesus as Christ or we go to hell, which is nonsense. Most of that comes from the losers that stretched the truth during the Crusades to take gold from third world nations and what not. Now everyone thinks its evil, and thought up certain ways the Bible can be. But if you know it like I know it, the Bible just tells it like it is, with verses like “Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law will be justified.” Same thing as a “good person will not go to hell, simply because they are not sure what happened 2000 years ago!” This has also been echoed by famous singers like Lauryn Hill and Bob Marley, and most Jamaican artists, which fits right up my alley being a first generation American. The Bible is great inspiration.
How do your songs usually come together? Typically, I’ll have a beat on my hard drive from some beatmaker or from something I made and I just write to it. Then I take it to the lab, the studio guy Aaron from Dead Records in Oceanside http://deadrec.com/ puts it up on protools, then I just spit into on a mic. Nothin too fantastic.
Whats the underground Hip Hop scene like in California? I wish it was larger. There really isn’t much of one like there is in LA. But I’m still searching for it. I know of www.accesshiphop.com, which is in San Diego and I just put a few cds of The GETAWAY on consignment there that I am hoping sell by January first or they will take it off the shelves haha. There’s some shows I can set up around the town at different places in Oceanside and San Diego but its hard to get started here.
I hear your about to release an new album "Crazy Face" whats the good word about this? Yeah. This is my best album to date I think. The culmination of everything I have learned or worked for in this game. Hopefully it does big things. The Whaddup track (number 7) will be featured on DJ GREEN LANTERN’S Unsigned Hype so that’s a good start and I plan to send “Better Off” to radio stations across the country and see where that takes me!
How is this new album different from some of your other LPs "Feel Good Musik" and "Think More Musik"? Well, Feel Good Musik I had been living in my car for 8 months and got out of that situation after finding Christ which was random for me if you knew my life before that. I didn’t curse on either of those two albums I don’t think and I tried as hard as I could to put out nothing but positive vibes. The GETAWAY and CRAZY FACE are more real to my life in between severe losses I felt in my life after those points and even before those points when I went further away from God and closer to drugs and alcohol. I’ve cleaned up after recording this latest album but I still want it to go out just as is because there are many who will be able to relate to this album as it is. The outro message will reach ears that normally would just reject anything I have to say about God being out there and Christ being out there and how it can benefit life and bring great blessings, which explains how this album sounded half as good as it did when I changed my life around and put some more effort into it.
When do you usually record your music? Night. Usually at around 6 pm when the voice comes alive a little more. I’ve done it during the day but it don’t work as good haha. I think I just have a dead pan voice when im half asleep, which is all the time unless its late at night!!
You've collaborated with alot of artists whos been your favorite to work with so far? I’ve enjoyed working with Duddy B, Heather Green, Brederin Daddies, Daddy Scotty, Chapter 11, Ness, High Tide, Edly Shine, Rac Dub, Big John, and enjoyed working with them all equally.
What are your hopes for the near future? I hope to get signed so I don’t have to work so hard creating a buzz. I hope more people sign up and add me on my remade myspace http://www.myspace.com/noneedz and that I find the right woman and win the super bowl and eat ice cream at Disneyland.. nah. I just hope for a good life…
Anything you want to say to your fans and peoples out there? Yes, God is real. Believe in Him and He will know you care.
