DX: KRS-One co-signed Common Market. How did that happen?
RA: We actually sought out KRS [click to read] - obviously because he’s an icon. When we were about to release our album in 2005, he was at a conference in L.A. and I sent my wife down to L.A. to attend the conference with the copy of the album. She put it in his hands, asked him to listen to it, just to see what he thought. So that’s what we did, he listened to the album, he was feeling it, he said, “Yeah, I’ll put my endorsement on the album,” so that’s what he did. He put the sticker on the front of the album, he came out to the release party and that was really it. That’s the extent to my association with KRS. We had dinner with him at the house, and that was a defining moment for me; that’s pretty much what I wanted to accomplish out of all of it and I hadn’t talked to him since. So that’s what it is.

Moving over to the East Coast, Jamaica, Queens particularly, HipHopDX finds Junclassic, a not-so-typical New York rapper battling for his piece of the pie. For one, Junclassic seems to not mind anything outside of his realm of existence: when some rappers struggle to ride the beat, Junclassic makes the beat struggle to gain get any sort of shine it can as his completely eccentric delivery takes center stage. And that’s not all: from his flow to his subject matter, from the words he chooses to rhyme to the topics he chooses to pursue (MySpace, relationships, societal reflections) Junclassic seems to do it on his own time, at his own pace, creating his own rhyme to his chosen beat.

For those who are tired of repetitive flows and topics of this genre, Overqualified just may be your pick of the crop. HipHopDX sits down with Junclassic to discuss his academic background which led him to graduate school – and the basis for the title of his album, his admiration of Shakespearean rhyme patterns, and “MySpace Sensitivity,” a track about the social networking community which brings out the best of us, and brings out the worst in is.

Junclassic: Hey Mina, how you doing?

HipHopDX: Well, thank you. How are you?
J: A little under the weather. Monday it’s 90 degrees, Tuesday it’s 65.

DX: Hate that; hang in there. Are you satisfied with the responses for Overqualified?
J: That’s a good question. Yeah, I’m definitely happy that people are getting into it; all the feedback so far has been really positive - deejays, websites…so yeah I’m definitely happy about that.

DX: I read the album review on Okayplayer; very interesting. The writer called you “bizarre,” insinuating on “weird.” Why do you think that is?
J: You read that? [Laughing] For what I feel, I’m unconventional. From what I’ve read, people say my style is unorthodox and so forth, and I guess my voice and – I just sound different from most people. If anything, I embrace that. I’d rather be weird than conventional. I’m guessing it’s the voice, the flows, the concept and I’m sure the beats have something to do with it. We went out on a limb with that project and it seems like the people are recognizing it…

DX: Do you go in with the intent of “I want to be different” or is it something that just happens?
J: I would say it’s something that comes through, but being over the age of 30, I’m from the school of Hip Hop where they said to be original, you know? No biting and all of that. So when I put it down I tend to stand out from others. But I’ve been doing this for so long, it’s like you said, I think it just comes through ‘cause that was my intent back in the day and now it’s natural ‘cause I’ve been doing it for so long.

DX: As you just mentioned, you do come from the old school. Do you think Hip Hop’s generation today is susceptible to your approach?
J: [Laughing] That’s a great question, Mina. I couldn’t really tell you. It seems like so far, with the responses, people are digging what they hear. In terms of mass audiences I think that will get me pluses and it’ll get me minuses. Some people will be like, “What the heck is this?” and other people will be like, “This is different and interesting,” so it’s a little bit of both. When you start out, or start getting noticed, some people don’t want to give that person the credit and other people do. I’d say yes and no to answer your question.

DX: What is the most unusual aspect of your writing approach?
J: It’s kind of like [William] Shakespeare and those – forgot the term for it…those special poems where they’re A-B, A-B.

DX: First and third, second and forth. You’re a fan of such patterns?
J: Definitely. Being in elementary and all that, I would love how words end in rhyme and he [Shakespeare] would do syllable endings if I remember correctly…it just had an ill flow to it, it was “syllabolic,” multiple syllables. It wasn’t cat in the hat, you know? I really dug that; I really loved the flow of it. When you read it out in class, it sounds hot, you know? I definitely appreciated it. Continued on page 3 »