DX: Why did you choose to film “Soobax” [click to view] in Kenya?
K: Initially, because I would have risked everyone’s lives to take them to shoot in Mogadishu. But eventually it started to make sense to have filmed “Soobax” [in Kenya]. Soobax is the sentiment that is an outcry from the powerless abroad. It’s not the powerless who are inside the country. The outcry is from those who are made to leave. So it made sense that I would shoot the video in Kenya which has the largest population of immigrants and refugees from Somalia; so it was the right place to do the video.

DX: Interestingly enough when I was doing work with the UN in a country that also suffered from aggressive warfare, Bosnia-Herzegovina, I heard “Soobax” playing in a small town of Mostar. I thought that was significant…
K: Wow. That is very significant…

For a man with a dual career (music production and teaching), J. Rawls sure knows how to use his time wisely. We don’t know how well he pars in the teaching department but we are certain that his Soul, Neo-Soul and Hip Hop compositions are on the quality end of Hip Hop’s production spectrum which can be credited to Rawls’ preference to sampling as well as his Jazz influence. He completed more projects than producers without an additional responsibility of education the youth, which include four solo album releases (2001-2007), as well as various collaboration projects including five solo joints with The Lone Catalysts partner, emcee/producer J. Stands, and two joints via 3582. One of Rawls’ most notable gigs was his production for Black Star, consisting of “Yo Yeah” and “Brown Skin Lady,” (and who can forget the “good hair” Intro from Chameleon Street, 1989?) As J. Rawls returns from deejaying in the UK, France and Ireland, ready to release his collaboration project with Middle Child, Rawls and Middle (June 10th), HipHopDX digs into Rawls' thoughts on his current projects, the quality of Hip Hop and the balance between his two passions (oh and Middle Child creeps in to answer a couple questions.)

HipHopDX: You just came back from deejaying in the UK. How was that?
J. Rawls: It was great! I deejayed in London, Dublin Ireland, St. Etienne, France, and Marseille, France.

DX: What are some of the cultural differences you noticed between Ireland and the US?
JR: One thing I noticed is that people in Ireland know how to party! They kick it until all hours of the night, even on weeknights. I noticed the streets were trashed - and it looked really bad. Then in the morning when I woke up, they were nice and clean and the city was beautiful again. The city workers did an excellent job of cleaning up at night.

DX: Talk to me about your album with Middle Child, Rawls & Middle.
JR: Me and Middle’s album is a classic J. Rawls type album: Hip Hop mixed with Soul flavor. We just had fun making this album and we were not stressed at all about it. I think you can hear that in the music. We just took our time and enjoyed making an album.

DX: What is it about Middle as an artist that made you want to collaborate again?
JR: She is an amazing talent. We clicked from the moment I first met her. She was all over The Essence of Soul [click to read], my 2005 album, and I knew with our chemistry that we would end up doing a project.

DX: “Don’t Lock My Drummer Up”. What was the inspiration behind this joint?
Middle Child: This song was actually a quick response to a real situation that had just happened. The drummer I worked with on a show got into a home situation and there was a threat of the police showing up. He called me like a day before the gig with the situation going in the background. So, I got in the lab with Rawls that evening and started playing the Rhodes and singing "Don't Lock my Drummer Up." It was the last thing I needed at that time. I had been through a lot with bands. It's still that way sometimes.

DX: “By Your Side”. En Vogue/Prince-ish influenced. How did it feel to experiment from your subdued/Jazz origins?
JR: It felt great. Middle suggested that and I am so happy she did. I have wanted to try some different ideas with my music and this gave me a great opportunity.

DX: Was the title inspired by Sade’s “By Your Side”?
MC: No. I love Sade, but that never entered my mind until this question. It was just the part of the chorus that I chose to emphasize.

DX: J., you’re from Ohio. Was it through MOOD that you ended up doing production on Black Star's album?
JR: Of course! [Donte] and them are my fam and yeah, I met Kweli through them; actually, I met Te through [Lone Catalysts partner] J. Sands.

DX: Why haven’t we seen collaborations with either Kweli or Mos since Black Star?
JR: Good question; you would have to ask Mos or Kwe.

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