Before the launch of THISENT.com our team had the honor of interviewing Hip Hop icon DJ Jazzy Jeff. We met up at The Intersection in Grand Rapids, MI where he shared a story for our Shining Example column.
As the conversation continued, Jeff spoke with us openly about several personal and professional topics, and his responses were used to create engaging articles. Here you get the entire INTERVIEW in THIS COMPLETE REMASTERED EXPERIENCE!
Jeff, your career spans 3 decades and you’ve continued to bless your fans with music the entire time, made available to them in a number of ways. We know you said your plan was to die empty, meaning you gave your all. So, is that your plan – to really just die empty, to really put everything out whether it’s for sale or for free?
That is something that I strongly believe in. I have to practice what I preach. Somebody pointed out to me, do you think Picasso only painted pictures when he got paid for them? Or did he see a really dope sunset and painted it? Some shit you sell, some shit you do for yourself, some you do for your friends. The late great J-Dilla made sure when he hooked up with Peanut Butter Wolf before he was passing to get all his stuff out. If you’ve got something that people like, don’t not give it to them!
I know a bunch of greats that’s got a bunch of great music just sitting there because they’re waiting for somebody to pay for it. God gave you this gift, but you’re not going to give it to people because they haven’t paid you for it. That’s selfishness. I just think it’s very important to get it out. If you’ve got something that people like, don’t not give it to them!
The way you’ve carried yourself in the recording industry reminds us of Quincy Jones. What kind of influence did Q have on you?
Quincy was very detailed oriented. The one thing I’ve always respected about Quincy is whenever I had a question, and I wanted to ask him, he was extremely available. And you don’t really get that, especially from this generation. Just to have a legend give me his phone number, and I called, and he picked up the phone, I’m like…okay! He was very accessible and very willing to share his knowledge.
Knowing the type of stamp Quincy gives artists when he puts his name behind theirs, what’s your impression of Lee England Jr.?
Oh my God! He’s incredible! What else can you say? That’s a special talent. Quincy is like that with Jacob Collier. If you want to know a great singer, ask a great drummer. If you want to know a great MC, ask a great DJ.
How is using turntables like playing any other instrument?
It’s a tool that creates emotion. You can play records in a way to take people on a trip. That’s always been my thing. I’ve got a start, a middle, and an end. You’ve got to take people somewhere. You don’t always want to take them on the same trip. You want to throw a curveball in there somewhere. It’s the same way with playing a bass; you know when to do a solo, know if you should do a solo or if you shouldn’t. It’s the same way with turntables.
When people talk about Hip Hop’s all-time greats, we feel as though they don’t mention you enough. With all you’ve accomplished why do you think people don’t put you in their categories consistently?
I don’t know. I don’t even think about that. I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing for about 35 years, which…I don’t even know how that’s possible! When you start looking at that I think your goals and your approach to things change as you get older. I know guys who were the best for 2 days. I’d rather be okay for 50.
We’ve been honored to interview icons and legends such as Chaka Khan, Teddy Riley, Ice Cube, and Kurtis Blow, among others. The shared theme has been showcasing people who have respect for their art. What type of respect do you have for your art and what type of respect do you command for it?
I don’t know if I can put that into words. Two turntables and a mixer has taken me all around the world for 30 years! Listen, at 15 years old, never in your wildest dream would you have thought that. I think it’s very disrespectful for people to take your art form for granted, especially when your art form is something that you do as a hobby. That’s a beautiful thing.
When your art form is something that can replace your job? That’s incredible. When your art form turns into a career, you need to get on your knees every day and thank the creator.
We definitely thank the creator for the success we’ve experienced online. What has the Internet done for you to take your career further?
We were having a conversation a couple of days ago about relevancy. It’s one of the things I think I’ve always looked at. Being relevant is as simple as paying attention. It’s really that simple. All you have to do is pay attention to what’s going on around you, and you can be relevant. Just understanding the power of the Internet was something I looked at long time ago.
It was a new eye opener to the power of conversation.
With AOL messenger I could talk to somebody. Going into a chatroom, it’s 30 people in there and you don’t know them. Even though it was a little weird in the beginning, you’re just talking to people and having conversations. That was the beginning of social media.
Right, which today really lets you take control of how you interact with your fans.
I came up in an era when I didn’t control my fan base. The record company, or whoever you were signed to, were the ones who controlled your fan base. They cut the fan switch on when it was time for you to do a project, and they cut it off when they thought your project was fading out.
Basically, what social media and the Internet has done is put the control of your fan base in your hands at all times. Your fans don’t cut on or off. They’re either with you or not. So to be able to interact with and talk to your fans is an incredible thing.
Jeff, what to you is a good example of an artist using the Internet and social media to their advantage, and really taking control of their fan base?
That’s De La Soul doing a Kickstarter campaign and raising $600,000 in less than 24 hours. That’s your fan base! I just think that there are a lot of people who don’t understand the power they have in their hands. Looking at what De La Soul did with their and the Anonymous Nobody album, ask yourself what if Snoop did that? What would happen if Public Enemy did that? What would happen if Pete Rock & CL Smooth did that?
Anybody with a fan base you have direct access to, you really need to start paying attention a little bit more because you can cut the whole middle ground out of the picture.
You cut the middle ground out the picture and made Chasing Goosebumps. The album is incredible. We love it. But what album to you was the first “Chasing Goosebumps”?
That list is way too long! Earth Wind & Fire, Chaka Khan… The concept came from the music I grew up on that gave me that emotion that I don’t really get a lot of right now. This wasn’t a new concept. It was actually a very old concept that just needed to be revisited.
When did you realize you had an emotional investment in music?
The first time I heard it. You knew it before you knew what it was. Being too young to control the music in my house, I soaked up everything my brothers listened to.
I was 5-years-old listening to Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report. I didn’t know what it was, but that music moved me just because of the chord structure, because of the melody! As you got deeper into music people categorize stuff too much. There’s 97 categories of rap. There’s 97 categories of rhythm & blues and soul music. It’s good and bad music.
Everyone wants to put stuff in a box and label it. I used to go in Tower Records and be confused! I didn’t know where to look for something! If they had just put everything in alphabetical order, I would have been okay. They’re over thinking it. The music … goosebumps is transferrable. If you’ve got something that feels good to you, 9 out of 10 times it’s going to feel good to somebody else. It was that simple. |THIS ENT
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
