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westakoasta · 6 years ago

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MEGABUSIVE - 2018

Can you tell us about your very beginnings in the Hip-Hop culture and growing up in San Jose?

San Jose had a small scene that began to pick up steam in the early 90’s. I got involved around 92 or so. B-Boying and graffiti were pretty popular at the time. I got my start there, and started rapping later on. Around 1994. The first show I ever did was at a legal graffiti spot in San Jose called the Barrio Art Gallery. I did that show with my friend Dmitri, who is actually a cousin of my wife, but I didn’t meet her until much later, so that was a cool coincidence. Dmitri was like a mentor to me in graffiti, and got us our first rap gig. The first rap group I was ever in was called Elements with Marc Price, Crescent, Esoin and Opski Chan. We did some talent shows and stuff.

What led to your first demo as "Pro"?

I had been given an opportunity to do my first show, but I had no recorded songs. A longtime friend and elder, Aiko Shirakawa gave me an opportunity to perform at an event she was putting together, but she said I needed ‘real’ songs. I was part of a community group called Sages that Aiko helped facilitate and organize at the Hank Lopez Community Center in San Jose. It was sort of like Zulu Nation, but localized to San Jose and minus a lot of the more disciplined tenants. We were young people who got together to talk about community issues, history, and trying to keep ourselves out of trouble. I had attended meetings for a while, and Aiko gave me a shot to enter the more legitimate rap fray. I was introduced to Tape Mastah Steph who helped with my first beats, along with Esoin. The songs I recorded for that show would later be featured on Four Track Anthems.

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When did you switch to the name Megabusive and where does the name come from (it's a pretty cool one btw!)?

Thank you. I appreciate that. I had been battling for a while. Before heading off to a B-Boy event one Saturday, as I was getting ready I felt I needed a new name. I wanted to something bold that was unconventional and got across what I was trying to do. After fumbling around with variations of the word Mega, I just sort of fell into Megabusive. At that moment, I knew I had found a name.

Can you tell us about this Epicenter Broadcast, how did you hook up with those guys?

Epicenter Broadcast was a group formed by a cat named Axeom. Axe, El Uno (the Unipersonalis), and Koan Abel were building together around ’96-97. They were definitely pushing a more complex line than most other rappers of the time. I had been friends with Axe for a while, and he brought me into the fold. We were young, and everyone had different ideas about where things ought to go. I myself was pretty wild and started focusing on my solo material. I actually recorded some of my first songs on El Uno’s 4-track. Shortly after that I got my own 4-track. It probably mostly had to do with my crazy behavior that we didn’t last long. We just ended up going our separate ways. We had features together on a few different local projects, but that was pretty much it.

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Your first cassette albums kind of stood out to me because it seems they were made with very simple equipment and also it was both sonically and verbally pretty original. There was a real will to offer something personal and fresh, no jazz or funk-related samples and every rap was pretty personal.

What was your state of mind when you recorded those albums? How did you live back then?

I was about 16 or so when I started making my own songs. By that time I had been exposed to Hiero, Hobo Junction, Goodlife / Afterlife / Project Blowed, and Solesides so I was interested in more experimental music. I leaned more toward darker tones and heavy bass because it just sounded good to me. I really liked LL Cool J and Run DMC as a kid and so much of their stuff was mostly drum machines and DJ cuts. I never really paid it too much mind. When I first started getting going on solo projects, Killa Klove really hooked me up. He did some of the first beats for songs I did as Megabusive, and taught me a lot about beat making and recording. He sold me the drum machine and 4 track I used to record my first albums, and I just took it from there. I didn’t have money for a sampler back then, so I worked with what I could afford. I’ve also always felt that there’s something very fulfilling about having constructed your track from top to bottom. I never much cared for how it compared to what other people were doing. I was only really concerned for how I was doing what I was doing.

I was in my late teens. Drinking, learning about drugs, hanging out with girls. Skateboarding. Graffiti. That was my mindset. I was going to shows by this time, so a lot of my direction also came from addressing what was happening in the local scene at the time. Have beef with some crew…go home and do a song dissing them. Have a fallout with a girl…make a song dissing her. That was the formula.

Looking back, it's pretty crazy how active and influential the local scene in San Jose has been as far as west coast underground hip hop goes. Do you have some kind of an explanation for this, some key factors, or actors? Were the local scene pretty tight in the late 90’s, was there some kind of an emulation?

This was the mid-90’s so it was all still pretty new. I’d credit Axeom and a cat named Mark Austria for influencing the tape trade in San Jose. There were a lot of underground demos and dubs circulating at the time, but it was like some dark web shit. Fools were mad stingy with dubs. You had to be in with the in-crowd to even hear certain songs, sometimes. Fortunately we had college radio and these dubs, which put us up on a lot underground artists. There were also these cats Chad and Dylan that were deep in the tape trade. I know they were responsible for helping spread things around. Aiko and Rob Rabang who threw Plan B at the Cactus Club are amongst the most influential. They knew what was dope and they brought out a lot of folks from the underground to perform at their monthly events.

Another key player in the San Jose underground connection is Jason Dooley. Jason and his crew TenSeven picked up where Plan B left off at the Cactus Club. They brought out a lot of the really dope underground cats, and that gave us an opportunity to network and get to know each other better. They gave me a pretty open platform, as well. While I wasn’t a ‘resident’ MC, you could pretty much guarantee I’d be rapping at some point during their events. Big up to BJ, Oscar, Carlos and their whole team for showing me as much love as they did. Can’t say for certain where’d I’d be if not for them. Jason also loaned me the ASR-10 sampler that I used to produce Farewell to Analog and my record for Mary Joy.

Also integral to all of this were Shane Nesbitt of Below the Surface, and P-Minus at ATAK. They were the first ones to ever sell our tapes, then later the CD’s. Both were fully independent and mostly popped up at shows to sell merch. Shane also had an actual storefront in Burlingame, then eventually in San Mateo, California. They were essential to getting our music out to a broader audience, and influencing many of us to take a more professional approach to the construction and distribution of our projects. I am eternally grateful to both of them.

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You had a lot of collaborations with lots of different crews back late 90’s era (FTA/Highground, Westcoast Workforce, Shape Shifters, Sacred Hoop, New Moon, later Isolated Wax). How did you end up hooking with those crews/groups?

The FTA connection came from graffiti. We had a little beef, but eventually became friends. I went to school with Jaer and Demo so that helped to ease the tensions. I was told they also appreciated that when confronted with the beef, I met it head-on instead of hiding or whatever, so that got me some respect. I dug what those guys were doing, so I was down with mending fences. We all really liked Hip-Hop and a few of us started writing rhymes together. We got our real start by calling into radio shows and freestyling. Early on we got a chance to pop by the radio station at Santa Clara University and became regulars for a short time on a show hosted by Sweet Lou. He really helped us out back then, and I will be eternally grateful for that opportunity. Rase eventually got some equipment and that’s what really brought it all together. His parents were really cool and let us hang out at their house a lot. Most of the FTA stuff was done at Rase’s house in his room, or this motorhome he got and kept in the back of the house. A lot of classic moments took place in that thing.

I’d known Joe Dub from attending Zulu Nation meetings in San Francisco when I was around 16 or 17, if memory serves. We hooked up again years later at the Cactus Club, and it was on after that. Joey would come down to San Jose with AC75 and the homie Matty C. They actually brought down the first 4 track we used, which eventually became Rase’s. I think he might still have that thing somewhere. We’d get hammered in the motor home and rap all night. It was a great time.

I don’t want to fudge the history too much. I was doing a lot of drugs and drinking back then, so some of the timelines are a little hazy. To my recollection, Unbreakable Comb from FTA and his homie Liquid Gold were super committed to keeping up on all the new stuff. They were in close contact with Axe and Mark Austria so they knew about stuff way early on. They were the dudes who would be tuned into every college radio show, and really had their ears to the street. I’m about 98% certain they were the ones who put us all onto Sacred Hoop. I was falling in and out of the crew during that time, while they all had been developing relationships with the Hoop. Fortunately I was able to be involved in the Moe’s Strange Hobby project. I was a pretty wild kid at the time, and only wish maybe I would have heeded Luke Sick’s advice to take a few more shots at my verses, but still, I’m thankful to have been there at all.

During this period is also when Stealth Melters came into existence. It started out as some sort of alias group I did by myself using 3 different voices for a song. I had met some guys from the Santa Clara area who I thought were really dope, and had these wild styles. I was introduced by THlostOT (lost in thought), who had actually been the person who inspired me to release my first tape. He said he knew some people he was in college with who would dig them, so he ordered the first ever run of Megabusive tapes. He showed me some stuff he and his friends were working on, and I was pumped. I asked if they were down to do some tracks and it just went from there. Pompous Kid on Trampoline/Luciferigno, Cire/White Noize, THlostOT, and I made an album together. That was a really fun time. Smoking a ton of weed and trying to be as absurd as we could. It was awesome. Later, Waste Management was created with the addition of Killichee Kows. My involvement was a little more limited there. Later Cyvee, Deform, Killeechee Kows, and Kizmic would become Animal Liquids. I love all those dudes to death.

New Moon were from San Jose, and affiliated with the Daysmen Empire. Piseas (of New Moon) is Style Misia’s cousin. I had known those guys for years, as we all came up around the same time. Esoin and I were in Elements and he helped me with my first couple songs. I had been really close with A-One through highschool, so we all knew each other. New Moon had asked me to get on a track, so we did that. They also appeared on my album Farewell to Analog.

I got to know Circus, Awol One, and Exist mostly through my having been affiliated with Anticon and through our LA connections fostered by Joe Dub. I’d hang out at the Anticon Chalet in Oakland and they’d come through. If they were ever elsewhere in the bay, we’d also get together. The posse cut we did for the 3 Eyed Cows project was actually recorded in a hotel bathroom when the Shifters were visiting San Jose. I love the Shapeshifters. Radioinactive I got to know more through hanging out with West Coast Workforce.

Workforce came about through Joe Dub. We had been going to B-Boy Summits in San Diego and LA for a couple years and started building relationships with artists from down there. Joe Dub was critical in keeping in contact with those guys and was eventually brought into Workforce. I got added a little later on. We did a couple joints and had a lot of fun. I still have a lot of love for all those guys and still try to work with them when we can. Much love to Subtitle, Life Rexall, Premonition, Anti MC, Joe Dub, Xololonxinxo, and Radioinactive. Big shout out to Neila, as well. She’s always been a major factor in the LA2THEBAY connection.

Isolated Wax is Dave Dub’s brainchild. Dave Dub is a pillar of the San Jose rap community, along with Persevere, Barry Bones, Fanatik, Zes the Smoker, Encore, The Architect and 50 Gran. They had a crew called the Underbombers which was pretty much the toughest shit out of San Jose at the time, in my opinion. They’d all end up having the first releases out on Stones Throw and 75 Ark (run by The Automator). They had all been doing stuff for a while when I got involved in the scene. I was a fan of Dave’s before I met him. I first met him at the Works shows that preceded Plan B. We’d hang out a few times, and eventually became pretty close. He had started Isolated Wax formally in about 2000. We picked back up in the mid 2000’s because he was given a distribution opportunity and brought me onboard to help flesh things out. All-in-all it was a pretty ambitious endeavor and I had a good time doing it. Life has gotten very real for all parties involved, so it’s been a while since there has been an Isolated Wax release.

Your first vinyl appearance was on that dope Tags of The Times 3 compilation. How did that happen?

Man. To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember exactly how that went down. I recorded the songs and Deeskee’s house, though. Deeskee is the brains behind LA2THEBAY. At this time he was still living in Halfmoon Bay. We’d met and hung out at different events around the Bay. He was building up a pretty thorough endeavor at the time, so I was stoked to be recording with him on his ADAT. I felt like I had hit the big time.

I’m really not sure how the record got initiated. I do remember this cat Higo from Mary Joy was super cool, and really into what I was doing. He was my contact at the label, and really helped move that along. They had agreed to do a 12” single, but it never came out. There’s 2 more songs and a couple test presses out floating around in the ether somewhere. It was a huge push for me, though. Still boggles my mind that I was even involved. Big shout out to Higo, Shungo, and Hiro for trying to help me out.

Although you did several appearances during that period, there's a gap in your discography between 2006 and 2014 as far as doing a full album. Why such a gap?

Truth told, I just go through phases of discontentment. I’ve had pretty severe mental health and substance abuse issues. I’ve always enjoyed the community aspect of Hip-Hop, but feel there’s a lot questionable stuff that goes down in the music scene. I’ve been pretty outspoken, mostly to my own detriment, and often wonder why I’m even involved. Every few years I’m inspired by seeing what my friends and the OGs are doing, and it motivates me to put out new stuff. I’ve been recording straight through all these years, but incentive to release records is minimal. I’m not into this free model of giving away music and doing free shows, but I love the art and still enjoy aspects of the scene, so I do what I have to do to stay visible. For the most part, though, being niche like I tend to be, while at odds with the establishment doesn’t generally lead to a favorable outcome. There’s peaks and valleys. I stopped trippin’ off people and scenarios I don’t like. Now I just focus on the positive aspects. It’s a lot less stressful.

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How did the Hell On Hell album happened?

My good friend J the Sarge who I’ve known since highschool had been working closely with Myka 9 and the M9 imprint. We got to talking, and one thing led to another. The initial vision J had was more of a polished rap record, with a little more commercial sensibility. I was recording songs and things were moving along. While I was working on those songs, Awkward sent me the beats which would all eventually end up on Hell on Hell, and right away I started writing to those and decided I wanted to do sort of an ‘anti’ rap record. Not against rap, but against the posturing and cool guy approach. I had just had my first child, and thought I should be doing something more mature than what I had been known for. There were a lot of social justice issues occurring at the time, and I just wanted to do something that was critical of the time we were living in, on all sides. Not just the system, but also how we exist inside the system. Not sure it went over well with the masses, but I’m glad we did it. Much love to J and Myka for letting us do the record we wanted to do, even if ultimately it didn’t have the sort of appeal that a more hype record might have had.

You also changed your aka to Computer Chip. Was there a particular meaning to this?

I love computers and my name is Chip. That’s the short answer. Computer Chip is like the flip side of Megabusive. As I’ve gotten older, the name Megabusive and the stigma it carries have sometimes felt burdensome. I no longer battle rap. I keep the swearing to a minimum. The beats are more synthy and technical. I just wanted to have an alternative outlet. As time has gone on I’ve realized that Megabusive is both a blessing and a curse, but it’s how I’m best known and I should be proud of what I’ve built. They’re interchangeable now. Depends on the mood I’m in.

Then you recently started this new project with Gel Roc and Deeskee called Exalt The Anti. Can you tell us a little more about it, what the name stands for, etc.?

Basically, Gel Roc hit me up and asked if I was down to do a record. We first met back in like ’99 and recorded for the 3 Eyed Cows tape together with the Shapes and EX2. I was down. He also wanted me to do all the beats, which is a big deal for me because historically I’ve been told time and time again that my beats were wack. This meant a lot to me, so I was up for the challenge. I was moving around a bunch, and had my second child during this time. It took a while to finish, but Gel was super cool about it and just kept encouraging me to do more beats and get songs done. In all my time making music I’ve never had anyone take that much time and effort to help me along on a single project. We’ve become really good friends over the course of the past few years. I owe him a lot for that. Luckily we were able to get Deeskee involved with the cuts, and then the final mix and master of the record. It came together beautifully and I love those guys to death.

The name came from a chorus for the song Exalt the Anti. We went back and forth with who’d go first, or who would do the chorus for each song. I came up with that one just based on what we were trying to accomplish. We both have a very similar mindset in regard to how we came up, the types of rap we like, and the way things have been on a steady decline for the past few years. We’re not down with the bullshit. Pretty much anti anything that isn’t what we’d deem ‘true school’.

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Did you see the documentary Adult Rappers? What's your take on being 40 (or close to) and still doing that thing you love?

I haven’t seen the documentary. I’m 39 now, and a lot of stuff still feels the same. There’s the added concern of having a family, being more mindful of my physical and mental health, and trying to build and foster lasting/meaningful personal relationships with the people I work with. Just trying to do stuff that hasn’t really been said or done. Dealing with cool guy shit, which is now magnified intensely by the internet. Not having as many local events, and how few people show up to the events we are able to do is kind of a bummer, but it’s not new. It’s just what I love. I do it for myself and the core group of people that are into it. Trying to mature the sound some, but always having fun. I still believe I might have a shot at doing something that reaches a larger audience, but I’m OK with how things are. I’ve always been lazy and kinda crazy, so I believe I get out what I put in. My wife is super supportive of what I do, and allows me the freedom to go about things at my own pace. She even shot my last few videos. It’s a real family affair.

Do you write the same way than back then? What did change on an personal, artistic point of view?

Having my kids has changed my perspective quite a bit. I used to be really angry and it was reflected in my music. I would often come off as aloof, or even bitter, but with some comedy. I was mostly just mocking other people. Whether it was gangster rap, or other underground heads I didn’t like, I was always poking fun. As I’ve gotten older, none of that matters as much. My kids listen to my music and I feel like I owe it to them to be doing things more responsibly. More personal introspection, and less anger. With that I’ve also become more conscious of my cadences, delivery, etc. I used to keep it to as few takes as possible. If I had to record a song again, it probably wasn’t going to get finished. Now I am definitely more meticulous. I want it to be known and acknowledged that I am serious about what I do. I also used to write more stream of consciousness style with very loose rhymes, whereas now I’m more into stacking rhymes and patterns. Had to clean things up, and prove I’m not a one trick pony. I’ve just been a drunk with very little guidance.

And on a larger tip, how do you see the shift of that particular underground scene in terms of audience, sales, etc.?

It comes in waves. Things will be very strong for a while, then it seems to calm down a little bit. There are also other elements at play now, which have always been foreign to me. Underground artists have a lot more options these days and are taking advantage of industry tools. Coming up, I didn’t know anyone with a publicist or booking agent, and now it’s almost mandatory. I have yet to retain such services, but have definitely considered it for future releases. Why should everyone else get to have all the fun? It takes a lot to get people to even check it out, let alone spend any money on it. My feeling is that if you’ve got a strong product, and get out on the road, you should be able to move a few copies.

Finally, do you have new projects to come?

I’ve always gotten something in the pot. Right now I’m just stacking tracks. Dropping random one-offs online. Just trying different things to get a read on what people like and what they don’t like. While I make music to satisfy my own urges, it’s naive to totally ignore the audience. I’ve learned that the hard way, but I wouldn’t trade my path for anyone else’s. I’ve also been working on producing songs and records, so I’ve got a few collaborative efforts taking shape right now with some amazing artists, that we all know and love. I’m really looking forward to those releases.

Thank you for taking time out to talk with me. I apologize for taking so long. It was a lot to remember, and I wanted to do my best not to leave anything or anyone out.

I may have mixed up a few of these dates and stories. It’s been more than 20 years in some cases, and I’ve been a mess for a lot of it. If anyone reading this disagrees with my memories of how things actually happened, I apologize. If your name was mentioned, it’s all love. There were so many people involved and it happened so quickly, in retrospect. I want to send a thank you to everyone who has ever been cool with me, or helped me out along the way. I’m not the easiest person to get along with, so I really appreciate those who have taken me as I am. Peace.

https://megabusive.bandcamp.com/

https://music.abolanorecords.com/album/hip-hop-against-the-world

Interview conducted by Pseudzero, august 2018.

#megabusive exaltheanti sanjosehiphop westcoastunderground

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