Magnif and Griot go way back. They’re cousins, but their bond is tighter than that. If blood is thicker than water, then for these two, wax is thicker than blood. Since adolescence the two Detroit MCs have dreamt of becoming rappers, the culture surrounding them from an early age.
Both artists often reminisce on the early days of beat-boxing into old radios and rhyming all day every day, ever since the first grade.
All those years together have created a remarkable chemistry between the two, who’ve succeeded in creating a unique style and sound, a Soundvision, which they deliver in stereo for their new release on Babygrande.
It features none other than Magnif (born Kavi Tapsico) doing the honors (producing 10 out of the 12 tracks) on the disc and Alfred “Griot” Austin slinging antagonistic and narrative-driven raps about everything under the sun.
We recently spoke with Magnif about the album, being from Detroit, and the video for the first single: Rules, which is sure to be a conversation piece in the very near future.
HHDX: Tell me about the album.
Magnif: Soundvision is crazy. It took a lot of time to make this shit. We put a lot of years into it, because we kept growing as artists. Every time we’d bang out a track it would come out better than what we did before. You know, it’s the constant motion, a constant cycle. It’s only like 12 tracks out of like 40.
HHDX: When I first heard Soundvision, the first thing that jumped out was how you and Griot come across as a group. It’s like the two of you were meant to rhyme together. Were you influenced by any of the classic groups from hip hop’s past?
Magnif: The golden era: ‘94, ‘93, ‘92. Nas, Illmatic, you know.. A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Pete Rock… but as far as production goes mostly (DJ)Premier.
HHDX: Did you guys go in with a particular creative drive for the album? Is there a sound that you’re going for? A particular vibe?
Magnif: It’s no particular sound, it’s just what I’m feeling at the moment. I go in there and fuck the MP, and whatever comes out, comes out. I might come up with a topic or concept right there on the spot. Either that or I’ll call up G and be like “Yo, check this joint out give me the concept for it,” and we’ll both write through it and bang the joint out. That’s how it usually goes down.
HHDX: Jay Dee (aka J. Dilla) did a track on the album, what was it like working with him?
Magnif: Yeah, it was crazy. It’s like, being from the D, of course that’ like a dream come true because he’s legendary in all aspects of hip hop music. (He’s) One of the greatest producers ever. So making that happen, especially this early in my career, like before we even had a fucking like mixtape or anything out was ridiculous. It was all love. We sent stuff out to his people, he heard the shit and was ready to get down with us. After we did “The Shining,” and all the success with that we banged out a another track with Jay that I produced call “Love,” we kicked the 16 over it and it has been all love from then on out.
HHDX: As Detroit MCs, what does Lawless Element have to say about Detroit that hasn’t already been said? With all of the talent that’s come out of that city, is there a niche that you fit into musically?
Magnif: I don’t know, when you think back to as far as back in the day like all the jazz musicians you realize that we’ve always had great musicians from here. I don’t know what it is, there’s just a love for music here. The Motown era, the great jazz musicians and now-a-days hip hop; you got a lot of dope hip hop artists and producers that come from here. You got Kareem Riggins, and of course Dilla, and Slum.... I don’t know what it is about the D, you know, we just make good music out here.
HHDX: Do you have a personal favorite on the album?
Magnif: I like the remix to “Something” with Diverse on there. That was my favorite beat on there, its ridiculous. Its like one of the first joints I started playing, cause I been on the sampling stuff…I’m still on the sampling stuff, but you know I play my own bass and I might make keys over tracks now. So like I’m saying its constant growth, so the next time you here me it’s gonna be even more ridiculous than the last time.
HHDX: Another standout on the album is Melanie Rutherford’s voice. She seems totally at home on your production. How did you all come together?
Magnif: Yeah with Melanie we had heard her singing, (she was on the last Slum Village album). She also did a single with Phat Kat, and even before the Slum shit we worked with her before that. But after we listened to what she did with my man Kat, I had to link up with her. We hit her up and did “One Night: One Night” was the first joint we did. And that shit was like ridiculous to me. I just loved the way the sound came with her over my production. Then was like fuck lets do it again, so we banged out “Move.” When the label…when it got back to BabyGrande, they heard the joints, they were loving the sound, the Magnif and the Melanie sound together. So that may be something to look for in the future, you might hear a couple 12s with Magnif and Melanie.
HHDX: As a producer do you have a wish list of other artists that you’d want to work with at some point?
Magnif: Mos Def. I’m a big fan of Mos Def, Kweli, and pretty much everybody out here who’s doing real music. But mainly Mos Def. I really wanna make that happen.
HHDX: What’s next for Lawless Element?
Magnif: Just working, around the clock that’s pretty much all I do. Right now Soundvision is just ridiculous; that’s pretty much what we’re focusing on.
HHDX: I did see the video for Rules, and I gotta ask: where did that concept come from?
Magnif: (Laughs) The video came out a lot different than how it was originally supposed out to turn out. We still kinda used the concept a little bit cause the song is about being against the rules, and you hear the track and what you first envision is some real raw underground hip hop type stuff. So you got something different with the video We did it against the rules for how your normal underground sounding joint is supposed to sound. As far as the concept thing you know we did what we wanted to do. A lot of the true heads were saying “why you got the girls shaking it up?” and all that…
I’m like damn, let a nigga live!
Lawless Element’s Soundvision: In Stereo In stores now
Both artists often reminisce on the early days of beat-boxing into old radios and rhyming all day every day, ever since the first grade.
All those years together have created a remarkable chemistry between the two, who’ve succeeded in creating a unique style and sound, a Soundvision, which they deliver in stereo for their new release on Babygrande.
It features none other than Magnif (born Kavi Tapsico) doing the honors (producing 10 out of the 12 tracks) on the disc and Alfred “Griot” Austin slinging antagonistic and narrative-driven raps about everything under the sun.
We recently spoke with Magnif about the album, being from Detroit, and the video for the first single: Rules, which is sure to be a conversation piece in the very near future.
HHDX: Tell me about the album.
Magnif: Soundvision is crazy. It took a lot of time to make this shit. We put a lot of years into it, because we kept growing as artists. Every time we’d bang out a track it would come out better than what we did before. You know, it’s the constant motion, a constant cycle. It’s only like 12 tracks out of like 40.
HHDX: When I first heard Soundvision, the first thing that jumped out was how you and Griot come across as a group. It’s like the two of you were meant to rhyme together. Were you influenced by any of the classic groups from hip hop’s past?
Magnif: The golden era: ‘94, ‘93, ‘92. Nas, Illmatic, you know.. A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Pete Rock… but as far as production goes mostly (DJ)Premier.
HHDX: Did you guys go in with a particular creative drive for the album? Is there a sound that you’re going for? A particular vibe?
Magnif: It’s no particular sound, it’s just what I’m feeling at the moment. I go in there and fuck the MP, and whatever comes out, comes out. I might come up with a topic or concept right there on the spot. Either that or I’ll call up G and be like “Yo, check this joint out give me the concept for it,” and we’ll both write through it and bang the joint out. That’s how it usually goes down.
HHDX: Jay Dee (aka J. Dilla) did a track on the album, what was it like working with him?
Magnif: Yeah, it was crazy. It’s like, being from the D, of course that’ like a dream come true because he’s legendary in all aspects of hip hop music. (He’s) One of the greatest producers ever. So making that happen, especially this early in my career, like before we even had a fucking like mixtape or anything out was ridiculous. It was all love. We sent stuff out to his people, he heard the shit and was ready to get down with us. After we did “The Shining,” and all the success with that we banged out a another track with Jay that I produced call “Love,” we kicked the 16 over it and it has been all love from then on out.
HHDX: As Detroit MCs, what does Lawless Element have to say about Detroit that hasn’t already been said? With all of the talent that’s come out of that city, is there a niche that you fit into musically?
Magnif: I don’t know, when you think back to as far as back in the day like all the jazz musicians you realize that we’ve always had great musicians from here. I don’t know what it is, there’s just a love for music here. The Motown era, the great jazz musicians and now-a-days hip hop; you got a lot of dope hip hop artists and producers that come from here. You got Kareem Riggins, and of course Dilla, and Slum.... I don’t know what it is about the D, you know, we just make good music out here.
HHDX: Do you have a personal favorite on the album?
Magnif: I like the remix to “Something” with Diverse on there. That was my favorite beat on there, its ridiculous. Its like one of the first joints I started playing, cause I been on the sampling stuff…I’m still on the sampling stuff, but you know I play my own bass and I might make keys over tracks now. So like I’m saying its constant growth, so the next time you here me it’s gonna be even more ridiculous than the last time.
HHDX: Another standout on the album is Melanie Rutherford’s voice. She seems totally at home on your production. How did you all come together?
Magnif: Yeah with Melanie we had heard her singing, (she was on the last Slum Village album). She also did a single with Phat Kat, and even before the Slum shit we worked with her before that. But after we listened to what she did with my man Kat, I had to link up with her. We hit her up and did “One Night: One Night” was the first joint we did. And that shit was like ridiculous to me. I just loved the way the sound came with her over my production. Then was like fuck lets do it again, so we banged out “Move.” When the label…when it got back to BabyGrande, they heard the joints, they were loving the sound, the Magnif and the Melanie sound together. So that may be something to look for in the future, you might hear a couple 12s with Magnif and Melanie.
HHDX: As a producer do you have a wish list of other artists that you’d want to work with at some point?
Magnif: Mos Def. I’m a big fan of Mos Def, Kweli, and pretty much everybody out here who’s doing real music. But mainly Mos Def. I really wanna make that happen.
HHDX: What’s next for Lawless Element?
Magnif: Just working, around the clock that’s pretty much all I do. Right now Soundvision is just ridiculous; that’s pretty much what we’re focusing on.
HHDX: I did see the video for Rules, and I gotta ask: where did that concept come from?
Magnif: (Laughs) The video came out a lot different than how it was originally supposed out to turn out. We still kinda used the concept a little bit cause the song is about being against the rules, and you hear the track and what you first envision is some real raw underground hip hop type stuff. So you got something different with the video We did it against the rules for how your normal underground sounding joint is supposed to sound. As far as the concept thing you know we did what we wanted to do. A lot of the true heads were saying “why you got the girls shaking it up?” and all that…
I’m like damn, let a nigga live!
Lawless Element’s Soundvision: In Stereo In stores now
