“I was a stay at home Mom at one point, we all had day jobs and I was also a security guard at one point.
Trying to get gigs, it was again about being in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing and being seen by the right people.”
[Rewind 2012+2014]
Jurassic 5 Interview
Chali 2na – 2012
Soup – 2014
The baritone boom that shaped some of Hip Hop’s finest moments, comes from none other than Chali 2na. Born and raised in Chicago, Charles Stewart is renowned for his associations with the late great Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli.
With his highly anticipated new EP ‘Against the Current’ bursting with Hip Hop pride, we catch up with the bassy wordsmith and artist to find out what he’s been up to.
Hey Charlie, where are you right now?
I’m just on the freeway, sat in traffic.
So your new ‘Against the Current’ EP drops today, how you feeling about it?
Well I am very happy to get this out and I hope people enjoy the end result. My aim is to get five of the EPs in the series and then create a book of my visual art at the end of the whole project. I hope this is the beginning to a fabulous end result.
Sounds like a great project, we love ‘Against the Current’, it starts off so typically Hip Hop, but throwing Ming-Xia in the mix is a nice surprise. How did you end up teaming up?
Well actually, Ming who sings on the EP is a good friend of mine and has been for a very long time. She has spent such a long time with her group The Spooks and then her solo work. She can really write and it’s cool to collaborate with someone of such great talent. I feel like it is perfect to reach out to and work with someone from whom I can learn a lot with and someone I respect as much as I do Ming.
You’ve got such a distinctive voice, how do you feel this has helped your music?
I do think that this definitely helped to solidify my individuality. I think if you follow this up with skill and content by making it something that the listeners can relate to. I am hoping that it is a combination and mixture of all of those things, which helps to make the music worth listening to.
You’ve been an exceptional player in the Hip Hop world; tell us about how you got started? How did you make your mark?
Well, I think my first mark was the ‘Unified Rebelution’. It was about being in the right place at the right time. This was the first thing we put out and the small piece of snow which became the snowball.
What were the Jurassic 5 Days like?
The original days of Jurassic, huh? Well, I was a stay at home Mom at one point, we all had day jobs and I was also a security guard at one point. Trying to get gigs, it was again about being in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing and being seen by the right people.
What do you think about the state of Hip Hop at the moment?
Our movement was Hip Hop. It wasn’t just the music. Now they just look at the Rap aspect of the movement. It is no longer the traditional thing that we used to participate in. If you were into Hip Hop, you used to dress, talk and listen in a certain style of way. It was a lifestyle. Now things are certainly different. It had to change with the time; it has adapted and technology has affected it. We didn’t have computers and iPhones and iPads. Everything is an instagramification, we used to have to work a lot harder for what we had but now technology helps that. People have studios at home and on the road. All of this is affecting what this music is and what the style, genre and trend is of the movement.
What was the first track you ever bought which really made a difference to your life?
Wow, you know, I remember Rappers Delight was my first record. Grandmaster Flash I think solidified what the musical aspect of Hip Hop was.
Why did you want to dedicate your life to it?
Rappers Delight opened up the door for it all and made me go “Damn what is this?” and so it all came together and it speaks to a time in my life. I subconsciously dedicated my life to it without knowing I guess.
You’ve even teamed up with Rizzlekicks, what was it like working with people relatively new to the scene?
It feels good you know. I respect those guys a lot, you can tell that they believe in what they do with the Hip Hop world. They hold onto traditions. They hold ethics to the scene.
Who was the most influential person you have had the pleasure to work alongside and what was it like working with Roc C?
I think the most influential person would be someone that I collaborated with outside of the genre of Hip Hop. Like George Clinton, I wasn’t aware of how talented he was on the mic. I am very fond of people like this. Roc C is one of my favourite dudes, and always will be. I love all of the raw stuff.
We’ve heard that you like to paint also, tell us about your art?
The art thing comes before the Rap bit actually; it is how I got into Hip Hop. This is how I originally got into the ethics of the genre and the traditions. The love of drawing and how I can apply that to what I like. This was an outlet to explore the genre further. I didn’t know that it would be the music that would open up the biggest doors but I sometimes take the art more seriously than the music. I love photography too.
What’s been the craziest moment of your career?
My time with George Clinton, he is a genius in the studio! People need to learn what a genius he is and watching him in the studio was one of the craziest things I have ever seen. He would mumble words until they made sense and then they would slap you in the face.
You’re heading out to Australia in January, where are you most looking forward to visiting?
I love the art out there. On my downtime when I’m not doing the shows, I want to be painting.
Chali 2na Tour Dates:
Wednesday 9th January- Republic Bar, Hobart, AUS
Friday 11th January- The Factory Theatre, Sydney, AUS
Sun 13th January – Sets On The Beach Festival, Perth, AUS
By Frankie Salt & Hannah Shakir
[Rewind 2015]
Jurassic 5 Soup
Currently touring around Australia, we catch up with Courtenay Henderson (Zaakir a.k.a Soup) of Jurassic 5 to find out a bit more about what they’ve been up to, and why they decided to do it all again after a seven-year break. You can catch the formidable Hip Hop collective at this year’s Bluesfest.
Hi Courtenay!
How are you? Where are you speaking to us from?
I’m in Port Stephens, Australia. It’s nice, it’s sunny, it’s a beach resort, so I have a view of the pool, so that’s cool, so it’s alright, I can’t complain!
And you’re not homesick?
No, no, no, no, tonight is the first show so if I’m homesick already I probably need to stop doing this. [Laughs]. I’ve only been away from home for two days, so if I can’t handle it now, something’s wrong.
How do you find the fans in Australia?
They’re great actually, really great. Enthusiastic, they have open arms to us, especially as we haven’t been around for a while, so it’s a testament that we’ve done our due diligence as far as entertaining, and people want to see us years later, so it’s kinda cool.
So you disbanded in 2007 and reformed last year releasing ‘They Way We Do It’, what made you want to do it all again?
Well, somebody brought it to our attention about maybe doing a reunion show for Coachella, and we did the first ever Coachella, if I’m not mistaken. The first ever, ever Coachella, we were on that one. So we got offered the main stage for the reunion show and then all the guys sat down and said, “You know that would be a good look.” And then from there it just snowballed into us just continuing to do shows. So that’s how it actually got started back.
And how have you found it being back and doing it all again?
Well, it’s definitely different. As far as the climate of the music business, it’s definitely different. As far as the shows, that’s something that we’ve always prided ourselves on… but it’s also kinda good to see the people that remember you, then them bringing people who have no idea who we were because they wasn’t born, or they was too young, so it’s kinda cool to do that. You know, but that’s about it.
I’m a huge fan, and ‘Concrete Schoolyard’ is pretty high on the soundtrack to me and my friends’ teen years and parties, how does it feel to be part of such memorable music?
Oh ok, right [Laughs] that’s really cool! Well you know what, when you’re doing it, you don’t really have time to sit back and think about it, when you’re in the moment. Having time to reflect is still kinda, I don’t know how I take it actually. When people say they enjoy something that you’ve done, I don’t know, you just kind of take it in your stride. I’m still yet to sit back and pat myself on the back. I guess when I get old to when I can’t really do it anymore then I’ll sit back and really reflect, but right now, I don’t know, I appreciate it though. I just feel blessed to have a situation happen like that.
Your music always maintains great instrumentality, as opposed to electronica, what are the J5 influences?
Well, when we were doing it we wanted to keep the elements of what Hip Hop was – which was the turntables and the mics, and we evolved and wanted to be a bit more creative. That’s why the DJ’s would do the routines they would do, and bring out, kinda abstract toys to play, and we brought out kazoos, and wind whistles, just to keep the crowd entertained and guessing, so we just used to pull out anything. But the focal point is still the turntables and the mic and the records – but every now and then you gotta spice it up, so that’s all we did. We was just spicin’ it up as much as possible. Giving people as good of a time as they could imagine.