Dope Canibus Interview...I Suggest You Peep

[AlerG]

Interview with Canibus
By: Rugged Intellect of HipHopCanada.com

Date: November 19th 2002



Fresh from dropping his newest album on the 19th of November entitled MiClub: The Curriculum, lyrical legend Canibus recently took time off from his busy promotional schedule to lace us with this interview. The album is banging so make sure you go cop it!

HHC: You just put out your fourth album, MiClub: The Curriculum. What does this album signify for Canibus as an artist and for your career as a whole?

CANIBUS: I feel that Mic Club "The Curriculum" shows growth in many areas of lyrical mastery. The true effect will echo through the minds and mouths of the hip hop community. I hope MC's step it up in the coming years.

HHC: Upon peering the back of the CD case, one can notice that you're not on a major label. Instead, you've opted to go the independent route. What fuelled that decision?

CANIBUS: The independent endeavour was more by default than anything else. I have found that the music industry is challenging from any angle irregardless of whom or what your affiliations are. I have the desire to be in more control of the image of Canibus and his musical content thereof. The independence of a major influence makes that desire a reality. If at all possible, individuals should make the music they enjoy and make the best out of their opportunity to do so.

HHC: One can also notice that the producers used on the album range from cats like Ayatollah and DJ Serious to relative newcomers like Kyros and even Rascalz producer DJ Kemo. How was it working with them?

CANIBUS: It was dope to work with each of them for the same reason. HIP HOP!

HHC: If you could go back to the beginning of your career as an artist entering the game, is there one particular business move that you would change, or a particular route you wish that you hadn't gone into?

CANIBUS: I believe in destiny and answering that question would imply otherwise, but when I think of how things could have been as opposed to how they are, I end up in a loop because I never dreamed of being a part of the hip hop elite when I was just a fan of rap in 1986. If someone had told me of the impact I would have made in '98 I might have felt too pressured to continue. As far as rap music, things turned out well for a nappy headed kid from Jamaica.

HHC: I personally had the privilege to see you rock the stage at the Smoking Grooves Tour in 1998 with Wyclef and the Refugee Camp All-Stars and I was impressed by your energetic stage presence. Do you have any plans to tour anytime soon?

CANIBUS: No tentative plans as of right now.

HHC: What is your synopsis on the state of hip-hop right now and what was your reaction to Jam Master Jay's untimely death?

CANIBUS: I think Hip Hop needs to catch up with the real world. The Hip Hop community should know that they don't have to be on the charts to make a difference. Rappers and the people who support them should focus on what the artist has to offer rather than what they have achieved. Life is brimming with circumstantial uncertainty and it's hard to tell when you're really up or when you'll be down. Considering our advantage over the less civilized places in the world (purified water, electricity, internet, television, radio) our idea of true art and music is subjective anyway. I'm just grateful to be a part of this shit. Morbid as it may seem, the real braggin' rights will ultimately belong to the body of the works we leave behind and the epitaph above our dead stinking corpses.
God Bless JMJ and all his loved ones.

HHC: Recently, there have rumours brewing about the Horsemen having broke up, and most particularly, some kind of tension built between yourself and Ras Kass. Is there any truth to that?

CANIBUS: I don't know where that rumor came from and I don't even think I care where it could go but I'll say that I think we made the sickest group since Wu Tang…or the Scenario…or even since the Symphony. Together we are lyrically untouchable.

HHC: There have been confirmed reports surfacing about you doing a full album produced by Stoupe of Jedi Mind Tricks entitled "Rip The Jacker featuring The Enemy of Mankind" scheduled to drop on Babygrande Records. What will that be like?

CANIBUS: I wouldn't want to build expectations but there is project coming. RTJ is tearin' the mic down…and it's disgusting indeed.

HHC: Despite your phenomenal abilities as an emcee, many people still doubt you and are quick to flat-out hate on any product you put out. Why do you think that is and how do react to that?

CANIBUS: To hate the image of Canibus is to hate the competitive spirit of rap music. My technical approach to rhyming leaves no room for credible criticism therefore anti-Cani people look for an easier target such as beats, hooks, etc. As long as Hip Hop stands then so will the image of Canibus because they are inseparable. In my youth I looked at rap videos and listened to rap songs in awe of something I couldn't do. I studied and trained to rhyme this way. A Canibus verse is a display of complete lyrical fitness. If it's so easy to rhyme like Canibus then more people would sound like him than let's say……Nelly (no disrespect of course). If 50 solid Bars were easier than empty 16's then I would not be challenged. If nursery rhymes were the ceiling for hip hops' growing audience then I would have never put pen to paper. From the beginning I aimed to make a statement in rap music as a lyricist. I pushed myself to keep it tight with every line I said. The art will evolve but right now apathy is the easy way out. Outside of the mass media and chart positions, I see the clear poetic value of my contribution to rap music. I am human, a part of humanity, and I write what I feel. If my rhymes aren't 21st century poetry then I don't know what is.

HHC: Having collaborated with such hip-hop luminaries as Kool G Rap, Rakim, Pharoahe Monch, Big Pun (R.I.P.) and Biz Markie, who else would you want to collaborate with on future endeavours?

CANIBUS: I am honored with having had the opportunity to work with the legends you've mentioned among others. My adolescent like desire to collaborate has subsided but I continue to be open minded. I am looking forward to working with the MC's who will usher in a new era of intelligent rap music.

HHC: On behalf of the entire hip-hop nation, who have been wondering for ages: Will you ever link up with DJ Premier for a joint?

CANIBUS: Primo got some shit fa' sho… but I don't think he'll allow lay-a-way.

HHC: What is your most memorable concert experience since the beginning of your career?

CANIBUS: I've got 3 of them.
1. The Tibetan Freedom concert in Washington, DC
2. Smokin' Grooves '98 @ REDROCK, CO
3. Opening up for Rakim at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, CA

HHC: Many people were flabbergasted when you dropped last year's C: True Hollywood Stories due to the fact that it was a departure from anything you had ever released in the past. Certain heads even stipulated that the album was a mockery of the hip-hop industry. What can you tell us about that album and how it fits into the enigmatic persona that you have become?

CANIBUS: Enigmatic??? My music is more human than most people realize. CTHS was in fact a testament to my mortality. Each of my four albums share traits of my personalities, dreams, hopes, and fears. The game is fucked but more importantly you should try holding your favorite CD in one hand and your least likable CD in the other. Does either one make you a better person? CTHS made me a better person so it was therapeutic for me at the very least.

HHC: One of the tracks on MiClub: The Curriculum, entitled "Bis vs. Rip" features yourself battling your alter ego, known as Rip the Jacker. What separates Canibus from Rip The Jacker and how do both of them co-exist?

CANIBUS: As I am sure you've heard the song you realize that there are three personas. Germaine, Canibus, and RTJ. The first can exist without the latter/The latter cannot exist without the first/The second is capable of incredible rhyming ability/The third is capable of much worse/The second lurks the earth in search of what the third has already found/We are human life forms on a human like farm where we are not butchers but cows/In this modern day Rome as we slaughter our own/We know not to whom we bow/We fight for justice and commit injustice when we ourselves are on trial.

HHC: For those looking to buy your new album, where can it be purchased?

CANIBUS: Most local chains should have it, but MICCLUB.NET is where people can go to get an autographed copy.

HHC: Thanks for having this interview with us 'Bis, and good luck with the album, it's a certified banger.

CANIBUS: Once again Rugged Intellect…Thank U…

[DPG4lyfe]

0o0o0o intresting