Randy Mason
Aside from emancipating weather, relentless ice cream habits and dangerously close to naked beach bodies, summer too offers a plethora of festivals, most extravagant ones held in cities of world’s cultural hubs. And New York is no less than a prominent player in summer fest extravaganza. Brooklyn’s Annual 5th Hip Hop Festival (held in June) brought to stage some of Hip Hop’s most notable talent, including DJ Premier, Styles P and dead prez. As the rain poured, the fans frivolously ignored it, hovering under the performance and promotion tents at the Empire Fulton Ferry State Park. And for many, the real party was the after party, and for a few friends and myself, it was at club Southpaw in Brooklyn where Buckshot, Torae, Marco Polo and Steele (of Smiff-n-Wessun) took the stage. Live radio broadcast was in full effect and so was the crowd’s energy, of which some waited as long as a year to witness June 20th 2009 in Dumbo, Brooklyn.
As the main acts completed their sets at Southpaw, the cipher of up and coming artists was steaming up. Various rappers hit the stage looking composed, collected, and for artists who have not yet paid dues, they were looking overly confident. One person who caught my eye was Randy Mason, who as it turns out, had every right to be confident while rotating the mic with both hipsters, and male and female rappers. His energy is perhaps that what first caught my eye, before the positivity and intricacy of his lyrics, which I must say was not matched by his peers in all cases. Upon sitting down with seemingly relaxed Mason, HipHopDX is further introduced to this rapper’s reasoning for positive rhymes, his love for other writing styles, and the law of attraction.
Random Facts: "I work part time in Dialysis; I have two kids; I totaled my car in Harlem on the West Side highway and through that fell in love again with riding my bike. I just got a new tattoo. I’m left handed. Well even though Jay-Z [click to read] popularized this trend and now every emcee wants to act as if they don’t write anything, truth is, a lot of my material I’ve never written down on paper. Not all, but a lot. It’s not a free style; if anything, I call it an organized freestyle because lines come to me, and I say it over and over and more and more lines get added on until eventually I have an entire song that I never wrote."
On Different Writing Styles: "I love to write, whether it be lyrics, poetry, a script, short stories - it all comes from a similar place. Though the source of the content comes from the same well, they each have a unique process, and are also rewarding in different ways. I haven’t been writing so much poetry lately…I mean lyrics are poetry too so in that sense I guess I have. I started to freelance write because it was something I have always been interested in. I enjoy reading very much whether books or magazines, blogs. So when I read something, it is the same as if I’m watching an emcee do his or her thing; I am very observant and I enjoy being impressed and learning from it. So I started writing for the Connex List Magazine which is a Hip Hop magazine ran by the Wonder Twinz, and it is a great experience because I am able to converse with people on a level that I may not have been able to otherwise. I am able to pick the brain of established people in the music industry, so I’m constantly learning and just soaking up a lot of knowledge. It’s also great for networking and just simply cool to meet different people."
On His Not-So Hidden Message: "There are a lot of different messages in my music thus far. I’m not sure if there is one specific message. With every song and album there is usually something different. What I have been feeling lately and I think is coming through in my music, is to just be free, be happy, be you. Life is short and it doesn’t come wrapped in a bow. So things can be pretty messed up, but we have to work with what we got; if we ain’t got shit then we need to learn how to survive and be happy without shit. It’s the simple things. Don’t be fooled by the mass media, and all the glitz and glamor; there is so much more to life than what we are force-fed."
On Energy Vibrations: "I strongly believe in the law of attraction. What you put out is what you get back. Magnetic energy, it’s simple and very true. With all the negative things going on all over the world and around my block, I feel obligated to produce art with the intention of uplifting and inspiring. Art that is progressive, and at the same time very rebel-like against the grain attitude. I’m strapped and my voice is my weapon of choice."
On The Crowd And Hip Hop Acoustics: "The Crowd is the group I’m in with two other multi-talented artists: Akil Dasan, and Adeline. It’s going to be the biggest thing in music sooner than I may even understand. I’m completely sincere and humble when I say this, but I’m just very aware of the synergy that takes place when the three of us get together. It’s progressive Hip Hop Soul; we do a lot of acoustic stuff as Akil is an amazing beatbox guitar player. We put out an acoustic EP that is available now at [click here]. We are currently working on the LP as well as a few other musical projects. We recently wrote a play that we will begin performing together this summer on Fire Island. We’re doing the BET “Blaze the Stage” showcase in August and playing on BET’s 106 & Park in September. The Crowd is a group you have to see live - we play on the trains in NYC a lot; we were added to the music under New York roster. We play a lot of gigs in and around the city and will be heading over seas soon. It’s so much fun being a part of this group, we all learn so much from each other and just love playing…"
On The Brooklyn Fest And His Performance At Southpaw: "Earlier in the day I was volunteering at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival out in the park. So I was there nine in the morning, in the rain… working all day until about four in the afternoon when I had to hop on the train and head to the Lower East Side Music Festival where The Crowd was booked to play. So we played at the L.E.S Music Festival - mind you, my clothes are still soaked and wet from being in the rain all day. After we rocked our set I went uptown to my crib to change clothes and head back to Brooklyn to attend the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival after party at Southpaw. By the time I get home to change, I’m beat and considering not even going.
But - back to the law of attraction - something kept pulling at me. So I changed and hopped back on the train. I make it to Southpaw, hung out with some people, enjoyed the show. Now I’m outside about to leave and I overhear someone say something to the effect of 'Hey, I think there is going to be a cipher on stage.' So, of course I made my way back into the packed club. Now by the time I get in, there’s already a herd of emcees on stage, and DJ JS-1 is playing joints but no one is rocking. So I maneuver through the packed crowd and backstage through the cloud of weed smoke and the Boot Camp Click [click to read], onto the stage through the herd of emcees - and there it was. I see Ralph McDaniels put the mic down by the turntable. I look at all the emcees shocked that no one had made a move yet. So I look at JS-1, look at the mic, grabbed it and the rest is history. By the way, that spontaneous unplanned cipher I set off is the very reason we are doing this interview."
On The Randy Mason & DJ King James Experience: "It isn’t actually an album title; it’s really just the theme of our music. One emcee song writer, one deejay/producer, and our experience as a collective is what it represents. So every album or tape DJ King James and I put out will have its own individual title, but the backdrop will remain the same. Guess you can think of it as the title of our catalogue. A few years from now when we have five albums out, you might find a special edition album titled The Randy Mason & DJ King James Experience, which will include all our albums in one."
On The End of the Beginning: "My uncompromised ideas, views, my perspective, my creative expression, me. You can't get it anywhere else. Nas said 'No idea’s original; there’s nothing new under the sun; it’s not what you do but how it’ done.' I believe that to be true. Though I’m passionate about being innovative, experimenting musically, and trying new things, I also understand that I’m not reinventing the wheel. So you’re getting Randy Mason - a young father, artist, [I am] writing, recording, performing in a very interesting time in the world, and in a very interesting time in music. With this album, you are getting the root, you’re able to hear it raw, and will be able to watch it grow into something larger through the years. It’s available right now for free download by the way. Get yours!"
On His Relationship With CL Smooth: "DJ King James is cool with CL’s manager. When it came time to do the 'The Emceemix,' which is the remix of the record 'Music in My Veins,' we wanted to get a few emcees on it. Initially we reached out to Skyzoo [click to read] and Phonte from Little Brother [click to read]. Things didn’t pan out. Shout out to Eternia, who did a dope verse for the record, but it didn’t make the final cut due to some misunderstandings. Might do another version and add her verse. So DJ King James played the song for CL Smooth [click to read], and he dug it. He did his verse and sent it to us. It’s amazing - I still can’t help but laugh when I hear his verse on there because at this point I’m just getting started, and to have been able to collaborate with a vet, a legend really… I mean CL Smooth! Shout to CL, thank you so much. Ali Vegas [click to read] also got on the record with us. I did an interview with Ali, and kept a relationship with his manager so when I played the record for them, they just blessed it. It’s incredible really. I’m grateful that true artists still exist, emcees that want to talk about the actual record and not money and contracts."
On Why He Is Noteworthy: "The music speaks for itself, this interview speaks for itself. I don’t enjoy selling myself, or trying to convince people that I am this or I am that. I am what I am, and some people just happen to find it interesting - especially the ladies [laughs]. Nah, I’m kidding. Well…not really, it’s true. But for real, it is what it is and I’m just getting started, so prepare to take notes."
As the main acts completed their sets at Southpaw, the cipher of up and coming artists was steaming up. Various rappers hit the stage looking composed, collected, and for artists who have not yet paid dues, they were looking overly confident. One person who caught my eye was Randy Mason, who as it turns out, had every right to be confident while rotating the mic with both hipsters, and male and female rappers. His energy is perhaps that what first caught my eye, before the positivity and intricacy of his lyrics, which I must say was not matched by his peers in all cases. Upon sitting down with seemingly relaxed Mason, HipHopDX is further introduced to this rapper’s reasoning for positive rhymes, his love for other writing styles, and the law of attraction.
Random Facts: "I work part time in Dialysis; I have two kids; I totaled my car in Harlem on the West Side highway and through that fell in love again with riding my bike. I just got a new tattoo. I’m left handed. Well even though Jay-Z [click to read] popularized this trend and now every emcee wants to act as if they don’t write anything, truth is, a lot of my material I’ve never written down on paper. Not all, but a lot. It’s not a free style; if anything, I call it an organized freestyle because lines come to me, and I say it over and over and more and more lines get added on until eventually I have an entire song that I never wrote."
On Different Writing Styles: "I love to write, whether it be lyrics, poetry, a script, short stories - it all comes from a similar place. Though the source of the content comes from the same well, they each have a unique process, and are also rewarding in different ways. I haven’t been writing so much poetry lately…I mean lyrics are poetry too so in that sense I guess I have. I started to freelance write because it was something I have always been interested in. I enjoy reading very much whether books or magazines, blogs. So when I read something, it is the same as if I’m watching an emcee do his or her thing; I am very observant and I enjoy being impressed and learning from it. So I started writing for the Connex List Magazine which is a Hip Hop magazine ran by the Wonder Twinz, and it is a great experience because I am able to converse with people on a level that I may not have been able to otherwise. I am able to pick the brain of established people in the music industry, so I’m constantly learning and just soaking up a lot of knowledge. It’s also great for networking and just simply cool to meet different people."
On His Not-So Hidden Message: "There are a lot of different messages in my music thus far. I’m not sure if there is one specific message. With every song and album there is usually something different. What I have been feeling lately and I think is coming through in my music, is to just be free, be happy, be you. Life is short and it doesn’t come wrapped in a bow. So things can be pretty messed up, but we have to work with what we got; if we ain’t got shit then we need to learn how to survive and be happy without shit. It’s the simple things. Don’t be fooled by the mass media, and all the glitz and glamor; there is so much more to life than what we are force-fed."
On Energy Vibrations: "I strongly believe in the law of attraction. What you put out is what you get back. Magnetic energy, it’s simple and very true. With all the negative things going on all over the world and around my block, I feel obligated to produce art with the intention of uplifting and inspiring. Art that is progressive, and at the same time very rebel-like against the grain attitude. I’m strapped and my voice is my weapon of choice."
On The Crowd And Hip Hop Acoustics: "The Crowd is the group I’m in with two other multi-talented artists: Akil Dasan, and Adeline. It’s going to be the biggest thing in music sooner than I may even understand. I’m completely sincere and humble when I say this, but I’m just very aware of the synergy that takes place when the three of us get together. It’s progressive Hip Hop Soul; we do a lot of acoustic stuff as Akil is an amazing beatbox guitar player. We put out an acoustic EP that is available now at [click here]. We are currently working on the LP as well as a few other musical projects. We recently wrote a play that we will begin performing together this summer on Fire Island. We’re doing the BET “Blaze the Stage” showcase in August and playing on BET’s 106 & Park in September. The Crowd is a group you have to see live - we play on the trains in NYC a lot; we were added to the music under New York roster. We play a lot of gigs in and around the city and will be heading over seas soon. It’s so much fun being a part of this group, we all learn so much from each other and just love playing…"
On The Brooklyn Fest And His Performance At Southpaw: "Earlier in the day I was volunteering at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival out in the park. So I was there nine in the morning, in the rain… working all day until about four in the afternoon when I had to hop on the train and head to the Lower East Side Music Festival where The Crowd was booked to play. So we played at the L.E.S Music Festival - mind you, my clothes are still soaked and wet from being in the rain all day. After we rocked our set I went uptown to my crib to change clothes and head back to Brooklyn to attend the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival after party at Southpaw. By the time I get home to change, I’m beat and considering not even going.
But - back to the law of attraction - something kept pulling at me. So I changed and hopped back on the train. I make it to Southpaw, hung out with some people, enjoyed the show. Now I’m outside about to leave and I overhear someone say something to the effect of 'Hey, I think there is going to be a cipher on stage.' So, of course I made my way back into the packed club. Now by the time I get in, there’s already a herd of emcees on stage, and DJ JS-1 is playing joints but no one is rocking. So I maneuver through the packed crowd and backstage through the cloud of weed smoke and the Boot Camp Click [click to read], onto the stage through the herd of emcees - and there it was. I see Ralph McDaniels put the mic down by the turntable. I look at all the emcees shocked that no one had made a move yet. So I look at JS-1, look at the mic, grabbed it and the rest is history. By the way, that spontaneous unplanned cipher I set off is the very reason we are doing this interview."
On The Randy Mason & DJ King James Experience: "It isn’t actually an album title; it’s really just the theme of our music. One emcee song writer, one deejay/producer, and our experience as a collective is what it represents. So every album or tape DJ King James and I put out will have its own individual title, but the backdrop will remain the same. Guess you can think of it as the title of our catalogue. A few years from now when we have five albums out, you might find a special edition album titled The Randy Mason & DJ King James Experience, which will include all our albums in one."
On The End of the Beginning: "My uncompromised ideas, views, my perspective, my creative expression, me. You can't get it anywhere else. Nas said 'No idea’s original; there’s nothing new under the sun; it’s not what you do but how it’ done.' I believe that to be true. Though I’m passionate about being innovative, experimenting musically, and trying new things, I also understand that I’m not reinventing the wheel. So you’re getting Randy Mason - a young father, artist, [I am] writing, recording, performing in a very interesting time in the world, and in a very interesting time in music. With this album, you are getting the root, you’re able to hear it raw, and will be able to watch it grow into something larger through the years. It’s available right now for free download by the way. Get yours!"
On His Relationship With CL Smooth: "DJ King James is cool with CL’s manager. When it came time to do the 'The Emceemix,' which is the remix of the record 'Music in My Veins,' we wanted to get a few emcees on it. Initially we reached out to Skyzoo [click to read] and Phonte from Little Brother [click to read]. Things didn’t pan out. Shout out to Eternia, who did a dope verse for the record, but it didn’t make the final cut due to some misunderstandings. Might do another version and add her verse. So DJ King James played the song for CL Smooth [click to read], and he dug it. He did his verse and sent it to us. It’s amazing - I still can’t help but laugh when I hear his verse on there because at this point I’m just getting started, and to have been able to collaborate with a vet, a legend really… I mean CL Smooth! Shout to CL, thank you so much. Ali Vegas [click to read] also got on the record with us. I did an interview with Ali, and kept a relationship with his manager so when I played the record for them, they just blessed it. It’s incredible really. I’m grateful that true artists still exist, emcees that want to talk about the actual record and not money and contracts."
On Why He Is Noteworthy: "The music speaks for itself, this interview speaks for itself. I don’t enjoy selling myself, or trying to convince people that I am this or I am that. I am what I am, and some people just happen to find it interesting - especially the ladies [laughs]. Nah, I’m kidding. Well…not really, it’s true. But for real, it is what it is and I’m just getting started, so prepare to take notes."
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